Original of the Species 1: The Slayer & the Saiyan (Redux 2017)
by Muad'zin
Summary: Multiple Crossover mostly DBZ, some Eddingsverse and SG1 - A new Super Saiyan comes to Earth. But can he cope with the madness that are the Scoobies? Revamped redux special edition version
1. Prologue

**Original of the Species**

 **Part 1 The Slayer and the Saiyan**

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(Authors notes 2017) I published this story first in 2006 (I think). I never did finish posting the complete story, plus the sequels here on FF, but I did on Twisting the Hellmouth. Except for the last story, which has been in limbo since 2012. I plan to continue that, but before I do that I want to post all my stories here as well, plus redo Part 1. Because I found some parts to be cringeworthy, and some had to be adapted to better fit with the story as it has progressed. And some parts just had to be cleaned up to get rid of bad grammar/typos/correct tense.

I will try and post several chapters a week, so I hope you guys can resist the temptation to go over to TtH and check the rest out. It will all get posted. And hopefully a little better, with the remaining errors corrected.

Some of you will probably have come here following a author alert thanks to Dawn of Xander. This is not a 40K story, sorry. But for those who stick it out I hope you will enjoy it. This has been my magnus opus so far. It will be different, if only because when I wrote it I was a different author, interested in different things (DBZ for one), still learning how to write a story. In English, which is not my native language. The story aside the tone of this story will be different from Dawn of Xander, which was meant to be more lighthearted, if you can use that term for anything 40K related that is

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(Original authors notes 2006) This story starts out a bit complicated. At its core its a BtVS/DBZ crossover, pure and simple. Yet it started out as a DBZ/Eddingsverse crossover. Along the way it changed to a DBZ/SG1/Eddingsverse crossover. Then I abandoned it because me and SG1 are only lukewarm friends at best.

Then I was introduced to two great Buffy fanfics, Far beyond Normal, which is a Buffy/SG1 crossover and Buffy Z, which is a Buffy/DBZ crossover and divine inspiration hit again. I took the main character from my earlier story and smacked him right into Sunnydale and pumped out 21 chapters plus enough ideas for a long time to come. The story still needed an introduction though so I took what I had, adapted it and stuck it in front.

So there are some stylistic changes between the first four chapters and the rest. Buffy won't show her face until chapter 4, with more focus on DBZ and SG1 until then. I'll say this in advance, the SG1 angle will drop out almost completely after chapter 4. To be frank, the only reason I kept it was to help rationalize the whacked up DBZ universe into a more rational universe. Now, when I first published this story on the Spacebattles forum many readers quite liked the SG1 angle. So I've decided to re-introduce it in the next part. (AN 2017: and it would stay. Boy did it stay) But to the observant reader there are subtle (or maybe not so subtle) hints that it's still going on in the background.

I would like to thank my readers at where I beta posted this story before.

So now that I've explained some stuff, without further adieu, on to the prologue!

PS. Occasionally I sneak in some f***ing good quotes from other shows/verses. Cookies to those who can identify them.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material written in here. They all belong to their rightful creators. Probably not even to them any more as well but to their corporate overlords. I hereby pledge allegiance to our corporate overlords and promise to buy their DMCR infested products like a good little slave. Why don't you? Compliance guarantees citizenship. You have 30 seconds to comply.

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Cue a piece of sappy music because I'm both pretentious and sappy. And because it served as the inspiration for this story.

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 **Original of the Species**

Album: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

Lyrics by Bono, music by U2

 _Baby slow down, the end is not as fun as the start_

 _Please stay a child, somewhere in your heart_

 _I'll give you everything you want, except the thing that you want_

 _You are the first one of your kind_

 _And you feel, like no one before, you steal, right under my door_

 _And I kneel, 'cos I want you some more_

 _I want the lot of what you got, and I want nothing that you're not._

 _Everywhere you go you shout it, you don't have to be shy about it_

 _Some things you shouldn't get to good at, like smiling, crying and celebrity_

 _Some people got way too much confidence baby_

 _I'll give you everything you want, except the thing that you want_

 _You are the first one of your kind_

 _And you feel, like no one before, you steal, right under my door_

 _And I kneel, 'cos I want you some more_

 _I want the lot of what you got, and I want nothing that you're not._

 _Everywhere you go you shout it, you don't have to be shy about it_

 _No, oh no, oh no, no no no_

 _Sugar come, on now show your soul_

 _You've been keeping your love under control_

 _Everywhere you go you shout it, you don't have to be shy about it_

 _Everywhere you go you shout it, oh my, my_

 _And you feel, like no one before, you steal, right under my door_

 _And I kneel, 'cos I want you some more, I want you some more_

 _I want you some more, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no_

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 **Prologue**

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Unknown world, 1977 AD

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He was sitting in his study room, trying to study but not really succeeding. Try as he might he had never really been big on studying. The arts, philosophy, natural history, most physics, they were never really his thing. He was more into military history, target data exploitation of known weaknesses. And the martial arts. Always the martial arts. Still, over time he had managed to pick up at least some general development, learned the way of things, the university of life stuff. His brethren may sometimes call him the country bumpkin of the Vale, compared to most people however he could still hold up his end in a philosophical discussion. The deep stuff however, that he left to his brethren.

In the end he threw up his arms in disgust, then swiped the scroll he had been reading into a corner.

"Meow!"

The cat that had been sitting quietly, half sleeping, half purring, now got up in protest at this rude awakening from having a scroll dumped on top of him.

"I am sorry," he said apologetic to the cat, "It was not your fault."

"Meow," the cat said unimpressed, then it walked out of the room, not giving him any more notice.

After the cat had gone to join its brethren he leaned back in his chair and sighed. It was too quiet. The others may have liked this, but he preferred to have some something to do. Anything to take his mind of the current quiet.

If study wasn't going to work, maybe training would? Sure, when faced with the choice between study and training his brethren always joked that there was no real choice at all. Well, too bad, training it was going to be. Besides, most of them weren't even here to rebuke him anyway.

He was about to go his gym for some training when he felt a familiar presence. Something he hadn't felt in quite some time. And unlike most times this felt like a good tingle. It could only mean one thing, his Master was here. Excited he went to the living room, and there he was.

"Master," he said respectfully and bowed, his Master sitting in the comfortable chair, with the cat purring in his lap. Seeing his Master sitting there he felt joy in his heart. After all, a visit from his Master was a such a rare occurrence these days.

"Well met," his Master replied gently, all the while petting the cat, then he gave him a stern look, "I have come with a task for thee."

Of course, social visits weren't really on the roster. They never were these days. On the plus side, finally something to do he thought.

"What would you have me do, Master?" he asked looking up.

"I will have thee leave this world and travel to another world far from here," his Master replied, "a small group of warriors, great and small there, will come to fight a great and terrible danger. They have need of thy assistance. The danger they face is so great it will consume us all, even the two great dueling Necessities themselves."

Ooh, he thought, anything that could endanger even the two great Necessities had to be an EVENT. Written in capital letters.

"Thou are't lucky that for now their great struggle is at a standstill," his Master continued, "so thy can'st expect aid from both of them. For once the great game is halted and there will neither be a Child of Light nor a Child of Dark. In this venture thou are't the Child of Grey. This will be thy great purpose of thy life. Dost thou accept?"

Anything because I'm bored senseless was his first feeling. Then the words sunk in. If this was to be his great purpose then it would also mean that all his past burdens would be dwarfed by this one. Not a decision to be taken on lightly. Of course, one never said no against a God. Nor could any of his kind ever back down from a challenge like this.

"I accept, master," he said and bowed in respect. Then he looked up again.

"But how can I go? My ship has laid here for thousands of years, broken! Unless either you or the Necessities can open a portal to that place I could not go even if wanted to," he asked hopeful. He didn't relish repairing that 4000 year old hunk o'junk. That's what techs were for and this world didn't have any.

"Fear not, for the Necessities have already made thy ship whole," the Master smiled, "al thou has to do is enter and go. Thou are't free to say thy goodbye's to your brethren but thy must go in one month time."

Crap, no portal shortcut. Which meant lots and lots of time spend in stasis. But at least some time to put things in order. Thank the Gods, especially this one, for small favors.

"What is my destination, Master?" He asked

The Master told him where he had to go. He couldn't believe his ears. It wasn't that far from where he had come, only a galaxy further at the most. Torak's teeth! He'd been there! But he knew he was very far from home these days to begin with. The Master then showed him a presentation of the universe and the trajectory he had to take. By the Gods, he thought, he'd be in ship stasis for decades. It would be over in a relative blink thanks to stasis, but he would still feel it afterwards.

The Master reached out a hand and touched him on his forehead to bless him.

"With this hand I bless thee, Childe," the Master said and he felt the power of his Master as it briefly pervaded his every being.

Wow!

As he regained himself his Master said his goodbye. Gently he put the cat down, this time the animal not even protesting. And then he was gone.

He sat back on his chair and went over everything again and again. Damn, he could use a drink. A real one. That left only two places to go. The Twins always had great ale, they brewed it themselves. But he also needed a good ear to talk too and that left only Belgarath. He'd probably know a million good places to have a drink. Too bad he was all over the place these days.

Still, that problem at least was easy to fix as he glanced aside. There on top of a cupboard lay one of the last remnants of his past. And his ship aside the only working piece of advanced technology on this planet.

A Saiyan scouter.

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It was after a month of preparing that he entered his old ship, indeed restored by the Necessities.

It was odd. For thousands of years he hadn't even sat foot near it, let alone inside it, and yet as he sat down it felt like no time had passed at all. Almost out of instinct he began his pre-flight checks as he switched the various computers on.

"Navigational systems, active," the onboard computer voice spoke, "gravitational drive, active, life support systems, active, stasis systems active, deflector shields, active, communications systems, active, sensor suite, active. All systems engaged and in working order."

Wow. This ship was now probably in better condition then it had been before he arrived here.

For a moment he paused as he contemplated what he was about to do. Memories flashed before him of a life he would sooner forget then remember. Of fell deeds being done. But also fond memories. Of friendships now lost forever. And of family.

Always family.

 _I miss you, dearest Mayan._

For a while he sat there, then something jumped into his lap through the still open hatch.

"Meow?"

To his surprise it wasn't just his brethren who had come to wave him goodbye. A small army of cats had gathered as well, sitting outside, looking at him.

"Yes, my good friends, I will miss you too," he said as he smiled and petted the cat in his lap for the last time, "Take good care of my house…."

"Meow!"

"Alright, our house," he said, "Be sure to keep the rodents away. And try not to pee in the Twins' garden. Not too much in any case. Alright?"

"Meow," the cat said, then it jumped off his lap and left the capsule. As the cat joined the small army of cats outside the hatch finally closed. Then, as soon it did the capsule slowly levitated off the ground until it was a few meters in the air, then it launched itself at breakneck speed into the skies.

As the acceleration pushed him into his chair he grimaced. Yeah, departure could be a real bitch. Landings too. The only good part of space travel really was the flight itself. And ironically that he was going to spend most of it in suspended animation.

As he looked out of the viewport he could see the world he had called home for 4000 years for the first time from space. The continents he had grown quite familiar off. It was always amazing that something that seemed so massive and firm looked so small and fragile from space. Then it quickly sank into the distance as his ship broke orbit and launched itself into the depth of space.

He continued to stare until the planet had disappeared into the blackness of space, then he reclined into his seat and he activated ship stasis for the remainder of the duration. Now the boring part of his journey was about to begin. No need to be awake for that. And then everything turned to black as his ship went on.

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And so, while our traveler traveled on, things on Earth progressed at their own pace.

Only five years before his departure a certain tailed boy found his way to a lonely old man in China's wilderness, seeking refuge from the turmoil of China's Cultural Revolution.

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Six years into his journey a girl destined to be Chosen was born and that tailed boy met another girl, exploiting China's recent liberalization under its new leader to find seven mysterious objects. Adventures and various wackiness ensued.

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In the eight year of his journey that tailed boy entered his first Tenkaichi Budokai and nearly won.

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In the eleventh year of his journey that boy entered his second Budokai and fought the Demon King afterwards.

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In year 14 of the journey, on his third Budokai, the boy, now almost a man, fought the offspring of that Demon king and won. Having also won the love of his life a year later a tailed son was born to him.

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In year 18 of the journey a certain Egyptologist in disrepute joined a secret US Air Force project and mankind began its first controlled journeys to other worlds. Learning along the way that it is easier to make enemies then friends in the process. And so started Earth's first interstellar war.

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Year 19th marked the arrival of two alien incursions to Earth, one which was detected at the last minute and dealt with by the US government, another which went unnoticed but to a select few, who also dealt with him. Next the offspring of the Demon King took the offspring of his greatest rival for training as said rival started training in the afterlife.

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In year 20 a special girl became Chosen as her predecessor was killed during the arrival of two tailed aliens on Earth. One of them was killed in return, the other only barely made it back home.

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In year 21 while others journeyed to a world called Namek to meet destiny, she made a shorter journey to meet hers. A great tyrant of worlds was defeated in one place of the galaxy, a master vampire snuffed it elsewhere as an insignificant boy defied both great danger and infallible prophecy for a girl who didn't even quite think of him in that same way.

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It was in year 22 however that _they_ came.

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The first was the supreme warlord Freeza, race unknown, world of origin unknown. Not even the mighty Goa'uld dared defy him, seeking both his favor and services instead. Yet he had been severely mauled in a battle with what he had called an insignificant monkey, called Goku, on a distant world called Namek. Which now no longer existed. Courtesy of Freeza. Rescued by his father King Cold he had decided to come to Earth and either destroy it, or go for another round with Goku and then destroy it.

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The second to arrive was a mysterious youth who surprised Freeza and his father by revealing himself to be a Super Saiyan and going medieval on their alien ass. He would later tell Goku that he had come from a dark and terrible future and was on a mission to play Terminator on his future rivals.

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The third to arrive was Goku. Who had taken his sweet time to return from his fight on planet Namek, having taken the scenic route. It was to him that the mysterious youth confessed he was the offspring of Goku's arch rival and fellow Saiyan Vegeta and Goku's oldest friend, scientific female genius extraordinaire Bulma. Although it was also clear the mysterious youth had not been told the fairy tale of the Big Bad Wolf when he was little. Cause if he had he would have known what Piccolo's big ears were meant for.

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The fourth to arrive arrived just a little late, but better late then never, right? It had after all taken him almost 22 years to get there.

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There were even some fifth arrivals that day, who arrived after the fact. All things considered it was a busy day indeed on the deserts of Turkmenistan.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

 **'The Arrival'**

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Earth, summer 1998

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Amidst the dusty plains of Turkmenistan the assembled Z-fighters stood silently. Trunk's time machine had just left, but his warning, as relayed by Piccolo, had struck them to their very core. What should have been a joyous occasion, Goku's return, was now marred by a terrible prediction. Only three years were left to them until a pair of killer androids would arrive and bring havoc to them and the world. The news had left them dumbfounded. Each contemplated the task now ahead of them. It was Vegeta, separate from the others who were surrounding Goku, who first broke the silence.

"So, Kakarot, how did you escape from Namek in one piece?" he asked, voicing what everybody had been dying to know. And also offering a break of a grim subject to something more light hearted.

"Yeah," Yamcha added, seizing this change of subject with relish, "according to Kaio-Sama Freeza's ship was completely busted. According to him there was no escape possible."

"I thought so too," Goku replied, "but luckily there were four to five ships nearby. I just grabbed one of those."

"Of course," Vegeta exclaimed as he realized, "the Ginyu force. They arrived independently from Freeza."

How could he have forgotten! While most of Freeza's men had come along with Freeza's ship the five alien strong Ginyu Force had come in their own transports to planet Namek.

"Yeah, I grabbed one just in time," Goku smiled at the recollection, "but it took me to some planet called Yardrat."

"Yardrat? That explains the clothes" Vegeta said, making a sneer at Goku's clothes, "I heard Freeza had plans for Yardrat. He must have planned for the Ginyu force to go there after Namek."

"Yeah, nice guys those Yardrati. They gave me these clothes," Goku said and looked at his weird looking clothes, "even though they are a bit funny."

"But you didn't refuse the dragon to stay there for the clothes, Kakarot," Vegeta smirked, "you were after their techniques?"

"You're starting to know me, Vegeta," Goku smiled in that great smile of his.

"So that is why you didn't return," Bulma nodded excitedly, "so what did you learn, show us!"

Goku got instant happy mode as he told them.

"Well, they could only teach me a single technique but it took me a whole year to master. It's called instant movement."

"INSTANT MOVEMENT?" they all said surprised.

"Show us," Tien asked curious.

Goku smiled, cupped his left elbow with his right hand and pointed his left finger upwards.

"It's not to a place, you see, but to a person," he said, "to put it simply, you must feel that person's chi then you go straight to that person. Let's see, who should I pick? Ah!"

In an instant Goku disappeared only to reappear again a fraction of a second later.

"That's not instant movement, you third rate clown," Vegeta snorted, "you're just dazzling us by moving very fast."

"Oh yeah?" Goku said and on put on the famous ray ban sunglasses of Kame Senin, enjoying every second of it as he basked in their amazement. All except Vegeta. Who had of course never seen Kame Senin and his trade mark sunglasses.

"And what are these then?" Goku said showing of the sunglasses.

"Those are from Kame Senin," Krillin said as he recognized the sunglasses, "the master who trained us. But how can that be? He's on the other side of the world, near Hawaii."

"I told ya, instant movement," Goku grinned.

Vegeta started to fume with anger. If he were a cartoon character he would probably have steam coming out of his ears. Again this son of a low class commoner had increased his lead on him.

"I'm really starting to dislike you, Kakarot," he finally said after getting a hold of himself.

"And here I was thinking we could be friends Vegeta," Goku said as he took of the sunglasses, "we are after all the last ones of our race."

"Don't count on it, Kakarot," Vegeta said coldly, "one day I will surpass you and then…."

Suddenly everybody looked upward.

"Holy shit," Yamcha said, starting to shake again, "another one?"

"That is some big ass chi," Tien said worried, "I hope its not hostile."

By the looks of everyone's faces Bulma could see that some serious shit was about to hit the fan. These were the times she was usually happy she couldn't sense chi like they could. Usually that is. Nature had also blessed (or cursed) her with an above normal sense of curiosity.

"Hello you guys," Bulma yelled, "there are still some people here without chi sense! What's going on?"

"Somebody is coming," Piccolo said without giving her a look, "and who ever he is, he makes Freeza look like a picnic."

"Why me," Krillin sighed shaking his head in despair, "why does bad shit always happen to me before I could get a nice girlfriend?"

"Cheer up, dude," Yamcha said, "look at all the stories you get to tell when you finally do get one."

Yamcha's remark did not manage to lift Krillin's spirit. Probably because he wasn't really believing it himself.

"The universe has far too much fun at my expense," Krillin muttered.

"He's far closer then Freeza was when we first sensed him," Tien said, "we could sense him coming in hours away. This guy on the other hand is close, very close."

"He must have been suppressing it until he was close," Piccolo said, "and now he feels the need to announce his coming."

"Or he no longer cares," Vegeta said.

Gohan was the first to see it.

"There," he said, and pointed towards a spec in the sky.

"Maybe it's that guy from the future again," Krillin said hopeful.

"I don't think so," Piccolo said, "this one feels totally different. And a lot bigger."

"Bigger?" moaned Krillin, "here we go again. I knew I should have stayed in bed."

The spec became bigger.

"It's a Saiyan space pod," Gohan said surprised, "could it be one of Freeza's men?"

"I don't think so," Vegeta said, "he has no henchmen left who could be this strong. I took care of all of them."

The pod started its final descent and then crash landed just to the east of the assembled Z-fighters.

"Let's pay our visitor a visit," Goku said and started to lift off.

"Hold it, Kakarot," Vegeta cried out after him, "whoever elected you the leader of this outfit? I say we hide our chi and mask our approach until we know who and what we're dealing with."

Unfortunately the rest of the Z-fighters started to lift of as well.

"Hey, we have Goku now," Yamcha shrugged as he took Bulma in his arms and he and the others went to the new arrival. Vegeta growled in frustration at being left alone and then lifted off as well.

The space pod landed a few miles to the north of the Z-fighters. By the time the Z-fighters were there it had already cooled of.

"It's definitely a Saiyan space pod," Vegeta said surprised as he caught up with the others, "it even carries the royal seal of my fathers house."

Gone was all his caution. Could this actually be… no way! Freeza had killed all of the remaining Saiyans. He, Kakarot and that brat of his were the only Saiyans left. The only others had been Radditz and Nappa and they were also dead. Kakarot and the Namek had killed the former, he had finished off the latter.

For a while nothing happened, the pod just laying there in its crater.

"Maybe he died or was knocked unconscious," Krillin suggested.

"Don't be an idiot," Vegeta said disparagingly, "Those ships are indestructible. You can survive almost anything in them. Whoever is inside is just waiting for the heat to cool off. A ship like that coming in that fast will gather a lot of heat upon re-entry."

"If you say so," Piccolo said, not taking his eyes off the space pod.

After what looked like an eternity the door finally opened, causing a shudder and a collective intake of breath amongst the assembled Z-fighters. Then, as they watched, a leather booted foot emerged followed by the rest of a body. A man came out of the spaceship, with stiff movements. He didn't wear any Saiyan battle armor but his clothes were an odd mismatch of all sorts of clothes, as if he was a vagabond living a vagabond lifestyle. His ink black hair, be it somewhat shorter then Goku's or Vegeta's was as disorganized and gravity defying as that of any other Saiyan they had met. Except for Nappa of course who had been bald as a stone. His short sleeved shirt revealed two heavily tattooed arms and a brown furry band circled his waste. He also carried a very worn looking scouter on his face.

Having finally fully emerged from the craft the man began to stretch himself out at leisure. Judging by his movements it looked to Vegeta that the man had been inside for quite some time. He then turned around and noticed the Z-fighters. Causing some of them to tremble.

"It's a, a, a Saiyan, you guys," blurted a scared Krillin. Fuck the hair! It was the eyes. Those black irises coupled with a scouter gave Krillin flashbacks of Radditz and Nappa and the tailwhuppin' he had received back then. He had died two times already and didn't relish dying a third time. Other then Goku and Gohan, whenever a Saiyan arrived on this Earth trouble was sure to follow.

The Saiyan took his time to straighten out his clothes, no doubt for dramatic effect, only then to look at the Z-fighters again. His left hand went to his scouter and he pressed a button. He looked at each of the Z-fighters. When he came to Vegeta and Goku he quickly shut it down.

"Damn," the Saiyan could be heard saying, "now I have to readjust it again."

Considering what the Saiyan had said his voice sounded surprisingly gentle. He looked at Goku and Vegeta again and studied them intensely.

"By the Seven Hells, no way! Are you two…., are you Saiyans?" the man asked cautiously

Goku nodded. The man lifted of and gently floated towards the Z-fighters. He studied Goku up close, as if he was the most interesting thing he had ever seen. Then to everyone's surprise he grabbed Goku in a bear hug and embraced him.

"Man, it has been such a while since I have seen another Saiyan besides my own ugly mug, I thought I was the only one left."

"Same here," Goku said surprised, giving the others a 'what the fuck' look, "but, um, could you please let go? I'm kinda getting squashed here."

"Sorry," the Saiyan said and let go, he even began to dust off Goku, "I am sorry, I forgot my manners."

Goku looked at his bewildered friends, then let out a big sigh of relief. The man suddenly looked at Vegeta.

"If you try to hug me it will be your last," the Saiyan prince said with his coldest scowl on full.

The Saiyan looked closely then raised his eyebrows as in surprise.

"How could I hug royalty?" he said, "Are you not Prince Vegeta of the royal house of Vegetasei?"

"I am," Vegeta replied in a tone that implied how anyone could be stupid to think otherwise.

"I guess I should kneel then," the man said and dropped onto one knee. Vegeta didn't stop looking sour but his raised eyebrow did betray he was studying the new arrival.

So far this Saiyan had not done anything but what they had come to expect from Saiyans. So far no Hulk smash! Still not trusting it though Krillin came up front.

"Hey, don't try anything funny," he said and pointed at Goku, "because Goku here is a Super Saiyan!"

Vegeta gave Krillin the 'how-could-you-just-blabber-that-out-you-bumbling-idiot' look. But it was too late.

"So you are a Super Saiyan?" the Saiyan said surprised, then his eyes widened in excitement, "Could you show me?"

The secret already out Goku made a gesture of what the hell towards the other Z-fighters. So his aura blazed to life. The others had to take a few steps back as Goku's chi pushed them outwards. When Goku's hair turned to gold the transformation was finally complete. And the Saiyan looked on impressed.

"Fascinating," he said, studying like a judge at a contest, "And good control too. How long did it take you to attain this level?"

Goku put his hand behind his head and laughed sheepishly.

"Actually, it sort of happened to me."

Vegeta growled in annoyance. It was bad enough that Goku became a Super Saiyan, worse even that it happened by accident.

"Would you believe that this bumbling idiot stumbled across it?" he said, "Even though he wasn't actually seeking it?"

The Saiyan shrugged.

"Such is the nature of things, my Prince," he replied, "some spend their entire life seeking what others find by accident. It took me 4000 years before it happened."

Vegeta looked shocked, as did the other Z-fighters. 4000 years?

"4000 years?" Vegeta repeated as if saying it made it more comprehensible.

The Saiyan nodded and started to power up as well. Just like Goku his aura flared up, as did his chi. His shorter hair moved upright as well and turned to gold. As did his short beard.

"I wonder if their pubic hair also changes color," Yamcha whispered to Tien who let out a short laugh. Laughter was the farthest from Vegeta's mind though.

"Not another one," he let out from gritted teeth as the two Super Saiyans sized each other up.

"Their power seems about equal," Tien said to Piccolo.

Piccolo looked for a while.

"I think he's holding back," he replied, "he's stronger then he wants us to believe."

"First Goku, then that kid, now him?" muttered Vegeta to himself, "Is there some secret Super Saiyan hangout that I don't know off? The ancient secret society of no-Vegeta?"

"You're just jealous because they managed to do what you didn't," Bulma said who had overheard him.

"Be quiet woman!" Vegeta snarled at her, "You don't have to rub it in!"

"Be quiet yourself, you bungling oaf," she bit back. As they started to bicker the two Super Saiyans continued their staring contest.

"Fascinating," the unknown Saiyan said eventually to Goku, "truly astonishing that it took you such short time to attain this level of power."

"You want to fight me to test me out, we could go over there if you want to," Goku asked holding up his index finger, "if you want I could power up my finger again?"

"That won't be necessary. I just wanted to see it," the Saiyan said and changed back to his regular look, "let me introduce myself. My name is Belmovekk, son of Rabar. I am a sorcerer and I was sent here to aid a group of warriors in their struggle against a great coming darkness. From the looks of it it seems I have found you."

The Z-fighters were surprised.

"A sorcerer?" a surprised Goku said, 'what is a sorcerer?"

"For somebody who has lived on this Earth for most of his life you can be surprisingly dim," Piccolo snorted, "this planet is full of the supernatural, you fool. Clearly he dabbles in magic. Which probably explains the neat tattoos."

"So, no boom today?" asked Bulma.

"No boom today, Bulma," Krillin said relieved.

"With you guys there's always a boom," Bulma snorted, "if not today, then certainly tomorrow!"

"If I may ask, Belmovekk, who sent you here," Piccolo asked as he stepped forward towards the Saiyan.

"It is…, complicated," the new Saiyan said and scratched his hair, "Do you have the time?"

x

* * *

x

(a few hours earlier that day)

x

"Sir, what the hell is going on?" US Air Force colonel Jack O'Neill asked as he and his team entered the SGC briefing room.

General Hammond acknowledged his and the rest of SG-1's presence.

"Colonel. SG-1, please have a seat," he said and made a gesture to be seated.

"Weren't we supposed to go to P3X-7580 in a couple of hours?" O'Neill asked after he'd seated himself. The rest of his team, Major Samantha Carter, Doctor Daniel Jackson and the rogue Jaffa Teal'c followed his lead.

"Your mission has been scrubbed as of immediately, colonel," the portly general said as he seated himself also, "SG-4 will carry it out at a later date."

O'Neill rolled his eyes. He had an idea where this was heading.

"Let me guess, sir, a situation has arisen," he said leaning smug in his chair, "one that specifically requires our talents. Right?"

"Your guess is correct colonel. This morning at 08:37, less then 20 minutes ago, British and American seismometers registered a series of small earthquakes taking place in the republic of Turkmenistan, to the east of the Caspian Sea. They happened in uninhabited areas. Normally this wouldn't concern us until the British alerted us that the nature of these earthquakes corresponded to a series of nuclear detonations, ranging from 30 kiloton to 1.3 megaton."

"That's quite a lot of tonnage, sir," O'Neill said grinning like a Cheshire cat, "the Russians been playing with nukes again?"

"There's more, colonel," Hammond continued, "there are eyewitness reports that an even greater nuclear device was detonated in the air. A shockwave flattened half the city of Darvaza 3 minutes after a massive flash was reported, brighter then the sun."

"I guess this means Yeltsin been pushing the wrong button then?" O'Neill said making a drinking gesture.

"No missile launch was detected, colonel," Hammond said. Even though he was used to the flippant behavior of his second in command it still managed to annoy him from time to time.

"So, an unscheduled nuclear test maybe?"

"Turkmenistan was never one of the former Soviet Union's nuclear testing grounds," major Samantha Carter interjected, "besides, the Russians have signed up to the nuclear test ban treaty."

"So? Its Yeltsin," O'Neill shrugged, making another drinking gesture.

"O'Neill, what does this mean?" Teal'c asked, copying O'Neill's drinking gesture, "And what does that have to do with this Yeltsin?"

"Yeltsin is the president of Russia, Teal'c," O'Neill explained to the Jaffa, "also know as the clown of the Kremlin. The Lushia from Russia! He's been known for drinking a little too much on the job."

"Only a little, Jack?" Daniel Jackson smiled.

"OK, quite a lot actually," Jack shrugged quasi-innocently.

"Of what, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"Alcohol. Preferably vodka I guess."

Teal'c looked puzzled.

"I thought consuming alcohol and working at the same time is frowned upon in Tau'ri society?"

"Usually it is, Teal'c, but they're Russians," O'Neill shrugged again, "it's a Russian thing to do. They probably all think they are leading miserable lives and will all have miserable deaths. So why bother? You know, we where there, remember?"

Teal'c looked perplexed. These Tau'ri never ceased to amaze him.

"Could they be terrorists?" Daniel Jackson asked, "We hear all these stories about missing Russian suitcase nukes in the media."

"A suitcase nuke might explain a 30 kiloton nuke, Daniel," Sam said, "but nowhere near the 1.3 megaton level. General, isn't there any satellite imagery?"

"Unfortunately not, major," the general replied, "since the end of the cold war and break up of the Soviet Union that area is of little strategic interest to us. A KH-11 satellite used to cover it but its orbit was shifted in the early 90's so it could monitor Iraq instead."

"I still think its Yeltsin, sir," O'Neill said, "anyone mad enough to grope female ass on television is capable of anything."

"Well, unfortunately for you, colonel," Hammond said as he leaned back smiling in his chair, "the Russians not only vehemently deny any involvement, they also contacted us 10 minutes ago saying that their seismometers came up with the same results. They also asked for SG-1's involvement. Apparently they were very impressed the way you guys handled their Stargate debacle."

"I was under the impression that they would rather forget we ever existed," O'Neill said surprised, "just so we didn't remind them of that incident. Still, why are we involved, general?"

The general punched up something on his computer and images started to appear on a large viewscreen.

"Because some 45 minutes prior to the first earthquake NORAD detected what appeared to be an large unidentified flying object, heading for a trajectory that would put it straight in the target area."

"OK, that would explain it," Jack nodded as he studied the data, "damn, I hate it when the snake heads pay us a visit "

General Hammond then punched up some additional data and the view screen displayed several aerial photographic images.

"These came straight from a Russian MiG 25 photo reconnaissance bird making a high pass over the target area less then 5 minutes ago. As you can see, there are several craters here, here and here, all showing blast damage akin to the detonation of large numbers of explosives."

"Or nuclear devices," added major Carter.

"Indeed, "General Hammond continued giving her a nod, "what interested us and the Russians most was this photograph though."

SG-1 studied the photograph closely.

"What should I see? O'Neill asked the others.

"Is that what I think it is?" Daniel Jackson said to focused to reply .

"It looks like debris," Samantha Carter said, "debris from an UFO."

"Did it somehow crash," asked Daniel, "that could explain the explosions.

"No, Daniel Jackson, it did not crash on your world," Teal'c said and pointed to area's of interested on the screen, "it landed and was destroyed in battle. It would appear that somebody awaited its arrival and then destroyed it."

"Case closed?" O'Neill asked hopeful.

"Well, no Jack, "Daniel said, "because then the question becomes, who destroyed that thing?"

"It's never easy," the colonel sighed shaking his head, "that would be to much to ask."

"OK SG-1," the general said, "you are to go this site ASAP and investigate it. You are to determine with whom and what we are dealing with. Because speed is of the essence here the Russians and us have deemed it necessary to reactivate the Russian gate. You are to proceed through the Stargate to an intermediate location. Upon which we will deactivate our Stargate and the Russians will activate theirs. You will dial home again and arrive at the Russian location. From there you can be at the site in Turkmenistan in little more then 2 hours, courtesy of the former Red Air Force."

"Can that be done?" Daniel asked Sam.

"Theoretically it should work," Major Carter said, "it got us on Antarctica the last time. The Russians were always careful not to activate their gate when ours was up, to prevent their personnel from accidentally arriving here."

"Not careful enough, remember," Jack said, "if you don't mind me asking, general, why the rush? It's clear that whatever happened has already happened. 2 hours, 10 hours, it should all still be there, right?"

"The rush, colonel, is that NORAD has detected another unidentified flying object in deep space. It's heading for Earth on a similar course that would put it also in Turkmenistan. Only thanks to the deep space sensors the Tok'ra have recently provided were we able to detect it. It's still in the outer solar system. Its ETA would put it there in less then an hour before you can arrive, colonel. Let's go people!"

"And I was so looking forward to busting some snakeheads on some dead end world," Jack sighed as he and the others got up.

x

* * *

x

(The now)

"He's clearly gone mad," Vegeta snorted after hearing Belmovekk's story, "he claims to be 4000 years old, talks to Gods, claims destinies have talks with him."

"Well, you should know, Vegeta," Piccolo grinned, "you've seem to have had several chats with destiny yourself."

"Don't test me, Namek," an angry Vegeta said, "or we'll finish that fight that we once started."

Piccolo smiled but said nothing. Vegeta's inability to become a Super Saiyan was like a open sore to the Saiyan prince and it was nice to be able to rattle his chains from time to time. Belmovekk's story however had been incredible. He claimed he had been a contemporary of both Goku and Vegeta, only to somehow end up on another world 4000 years in the past. Where he had entered service as a sorcerer to a God. To be honest, considering the stuff he and Goku's merry band had been through it didn't even sound that strange. It also helped his case that he illustrated his story with cool visuals. As he talked Belmovekk held up his right hand and holographic images appeared to illustrate his story.

Still, images could be faked and the trick was in ascertaining whether or not the Saiyan was lying. Piccolo found humans generally easy to read. Except for a certain subspecies called politicians it was easy to see whether or not they were lying. Not only could he hear better then humans, his eyes allowed him to see things which human eyes couldn't see. Like increased flushing when telling a lie. Saiyans were a different matter however. Goku was a terrible liar but it didn't show on Piccolo's senses. Goku just plainly sucked at it. Vegeta generally didn't bother to lie these days. Krillin had told him that he had though on Namek when they were all busy scrambling for the Namekian Dragonballs. Then again, nobody had trusted him anyway so it didn't come as a big surprise either. But this Belmovekk, well he seemed sincere. And at least he wasn't spoiling for a fight.

"What do you mean, you were sent here to aid us?" a puzzled Goku asked, "Aid us in what?

Piccolo slapped his forehead and sighed. How could that idiot forget! Saiyans!

"Three years from now, in Sydney Australia, at 10:00 in the morning two androids will appear with enormous destructive powers and lay waste to the city. We are all supposedly going to die an horrendous death by their hands. Now do you remember?" Piccolo said.

"Oh yeah," Goku said smiling his goofball smile to hide his embarisment, "I kinda forgot when Belmovekk arrived."

Several Z-fighters slapped their foreheads.

While they were busy Vegeta, who up till then had stood apart walked up to the new arrival.

"I know you," Vegeta said, suddenly getting everyones interest, "you are Movekk, of the house Rabar. I've seen you with my father when I was little."

Belmovekk raised an eyebrow and scratched his hair.

"I am amazed you remembered, my Prince," he replied.

"You worked for my father, you." Vegeta's eyes grew a little bigger, "you were of the Royal Household!"

"What is the Royal Household, Vegeta?" Goku asked.

"Nitwit," muttered Vegeta in disgust at Goku's ignorance, "there is Saiyan Elite, which is birthright only. And there is Royal Household. We Saiyan Elite tend to look down upon them since anyone could join but only a fool wouldn't recognize that they were almost as good as the Elites. They were the king's private fighting force. Movekk here was of part of an even more elite force inside the Royal Household, the Infiltrators."

"Infiltrators?"

"On this planet you would call them special forces, or spies," Vegeta replied as he looked for the right words, "the ones who scout ahead in front of the main invasion forces, who decide which places get hit in which order. The best even command invasion forces themselves. Most of the Warleaders who weren't Elite used to be Infiltrators."

"Hey, you're not scouting us out for invasion, mister?" Yamcha asked to the new arrival.

Before he could answer Vegeta continued.

"You were in command of the 7th regiment, Movekk. They weren't on planet Vegeta when Freeza destroyed our world. What happened to them? I had Radditz look for them but he couldn't find them nor what had happened."

"Radditz? Radditz son of Bardock," Belmovekk snorted, "he could not find his own shadow if his life depended on it."

"You're talking about my brother," Goku objected.

"Why do you care?" Krillin Goku asked, "he tried to kill you, remember?"

"He was still my brother,"Goku shrugged at his little friend.

"You are evading the question, Movekk," Vegeta said to the new arrival, "the mental capabilities of Radditz, be it questionable, are irrelevant. They were not on Planet Vegeta when Freeza blew it up yet there exists no records of where Freeza had sent them. What happened to the 7th?"

Belmovekk looked slightly pained, as if remembering a bad memory he would rather have forgotten.

"The reason there were no records with Freeza was because our mission was a secret. Your father sought allies against Freeza and offered the 7th to get some. They are no more, my prince, We had invaded and cleansed a particularly troublesome world for our new allies when we were attacked by the Ginyu force. They wiped us out quicker then it took to do their ridiculous poses. Those that managed to make it off the planet split up to increase our chances. I was on the way to the rendezvous point when they ambushed me as well. Which to me suggest that they had already found it. I don't remember how I made it out but the next thing I woke up and I was on that other world."

"How many worlds have you cleansed of their inhabitants," Piccolo asked. He didn't quite relish the idea of having another Saiyan mass murderer here on this planet.

"Too many," the Saiyan said looking very guilty.

"But you feel...remorse?" Piccolo asked curious.

"There are nights when I don't wake up hearing the screams of my victims. But not often," the Saiyan replied.

"So you are not going to horribly kill us like every other Saiyan we've come across?" asked Krillin.

"Be at ease, little man, my days of senseless slaughter are long gone," the Saiyan smiled a sad smile and looked at Goku again, "What was your name again?"

"Goku. And this is my son Gohan," Goku said and took Gohan by the shoulders, "he's half Saiyan."

"Goku, how come you and Vegeta here did not wipe this place out?" Belmovekk asked, "I may be reformed but I am amazed to see you guys here and this planet still in one piece."

"Vegeta tried," Goku said giving the Saiyan prince a nod," but we stopped him cold."

Vegeta gave Goku one of his patented death glares but the happy Saiyan ignored it.

"We've had a couple of crazy adventures since and now we seem to be friends."

'We are no such things!" Vegeta exploded, "The only reason I haven't obliterated this sorry excuse of a planet is because we have unfinished business, Kakarot, You and I. Your life belongs to me and I will determine when and where you will snuff it!"

Goku just smiled. He knew better. Or at least he was simpleminded enough to think he did.

"Anyway," he continued, "I arrived here when I was just an infant and I was raised by humans."

"Some inbred hillbilly in the middle of nowhere, from what I heard," Vegeta muttered, "which would explain quite a lot."

"Vegeta, nobody insults my grandfather," Goku said slightly agitated. Vegeta raised an eyebrow, then he smirked his annoying Saiyan smirk again. So there was a way to infuriate Goku.

"So, I guess we get to live to fight another day," Krillin said relieved, "this is turning out to be a good day after all."

Then he remembered.

'Shit, what are we going to do about those androids?" asked Krillin, "Should I keep that day free in my calendar?"

"What is it about these androids?" Belmovekk asked, "You guys mentioned them before."

"Some kid came here from the future and told us three years from now a couple of androids would come, kill us all and lay waste to this world," Krillin replied, "in his time they had decimated humanity and he couldn't fight them. So he came back to warn us in an attempt to change history. I think."

"Ah, the old lets go back in time and do a little pre-emptive strike," Belmovekk said, "but would that not mess up history and create a grandfather paradox?"

The Z- fighters gave him a blank look, although Bulma seemed to have understood it.

"What?" Belmovekk said, "do you guys not read between exercises? Discuss philosophy? A healthy mind in a healthy body?"

"The mind is an underdeveloped muscle with these guys," Bulma said after Belmovekk got more blank looks, "it's a good idea though. If that kid is trying to change histroy then maybe we could nip this in the bud by striking at Dr. Gero before he builds those androids. Take him out, nothing gets build."

"Hey," Krillin said, "that is actually a good idea."

"Of course," Bulma said smug, "I ain't the brains of this outfit for nothing."

"I could finally turn my attention to getting a girlfriend," smiled Krillin.

'WE WILL DO NO SUCH THING!" Vegeta yelled angrily, "I will kill the first person who does such a cowardly thing!"

"Why not?" Bulma yelled back at him, "We are talking about the fate of the Earth here! Goku, don't you agree?"

She looked pleadingly at her oldest friend.

"Well, actually Bulma, I'm quite looking forward to the fight," Goku eventually said, "besides, the man hasn't done anything wrong yet."

Bulma slapped her forehead in disgust.

"Saiyans! The idea of a fight turns them on more then a stripclub full of naked women!"

"Hey," Belmovekk remarked, "I thought it was a good idea. I may have no idea what a stripclub is, but I take naked women any day of the week."

"How very.. un-Saiyan of you?" Tien said surprised.

"Well, when you turn 4000 you'll find that your priorities might have changed a bit," Belmovekk grinned and held up a hand to countdown, "a wise man once said, never turn down the chance to take a piss, never turn down a free meal when offered and never miss your chance to get some nookie."

"Oh my God," Yamcha smiled, "that proves it. We are all going to turn in perverts like Kame Senin."

At that they all laughed except Belmovekk who gave everybody the 'what did I say?' look. Now that the tension had been broken Piccolo took the word again.

"Alright, nobody can be forced to come. Those without the confidence can stay at home, nothing will be said. For those of you who will, it suffices to come an hour beforehand."

"Yeah," Goku said and raised his fist into the air, "let's kick some android ass for the future!"

"Kakarot! This changes nothing between us," Vegeta said, "don't let being a Super Saiyan get to your head cause one day I will defeat you. I am after all you superior."

And with that Vegeta lifted off in a blaze of white chi and left for what passed as home these days, Capsule Corp.

"So what are you going to do, Belmovekk?" Yamcha asked after Vegeta had gone out of sight, "are you going to train with us and with whom?"

"You could stay with us?" Bulma said, "We have plenty of space. I'd love to hear more of that crazy story. And Vegeta's there as well."

The Saiyan sorcerer looked pensive for a while.

"I do not know yet," he said eventually, "but thanks for the offer. I do not think Vegeta would be to pleased if he saw me again so soon or all the time for that matter."

"Now you must come for sure," Yamcha laughed, "just to piss Vegeta off. You'd think he be glad to have a fellow Saiyan in the house."

"Vegeta has a lot of anger in his heart," Belmovekk said.

"Yeah, even though you should be surprised he could fit it in besides his enormous ego," Yamcha smiled.

"I may be the new guy here but I can see he is very pissed off that he's not a Super Saiyan yet. He's mad as hell that somebody else has succeeded where he has failed. Now that he has seen several other Super Saiyans he will not be great company until he can face us as an equal. And knowing him that's probably not going to be enough either. I think I will stay on my own for a while. Gives me a chance to get to know this world a bit. Is gold an accepted currency here?"

"Not as a currency," Krillin said, "but you can exchange it for local currency at some banks or jewelers. Try dollars, they will get you everything you need even in the worst of places."

Belmovekk smiled.

"Good, then I will be able to find a place to stay for a while. I think I will go and explore this world for a while. It looks remarkably similar to where I came from. I will look you up from time to time for some training or planning."

"You'll always be welcome at my house," Goku said.

"But be sure to give us a call first," Gohan said, "or mum will throw us a major tantrum! You know how she is about uninvited guests, dad."

"I will do that, Goku," Belmovekk smiled, "I'm very interested to learn some of your techniques. Trade you for some of my moves?"

"Belmovekk, we're talking Goku here," Krillin said and put his arm around Goku, "this big lug stayed away from Earth for a whole year just so he could learn a new technique. There will be no stopping him. "

Belmovekk laughed and leaped up into the air.

"Expect me when you see me," he called. Then he sped off towards the West.

"Wow, a chance to learn original Saiyan techniques, "Goku said wistfully, "I can't wait for him to visit.

"Don't drool, Goku, it's considered impolite," Krillin said.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

 **'A thirsty job but somebody's gotta do it'**

x

* * *

x

Location, a Russian army Mi-8 helicopter flying low over Turkmenistan.

x

"Two hours, they said, two hours," Colonel Jack O'Neill muttered as he squirmed in his uncomfortable seat, "Russians!"

"Well, You have to admit, Jack, the MiG-25 ride was kinda cool," Daniel replied, kinda liking the idea of seeing Jack squirm to off balance his own discomfort.

"It was fun indeed, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said, the Jaffa not phased at all by their current mode of travel, "although a bit more primitive then the craft of your government."

"It got us here, Teal'c. That's what matters," Daniel countered.

"Perhaps," the Jaffa shrugged.

"Well, I for one felt 10 years older when that Russian pilot thought it was funny to do a few mach 3 barrel rolls," O'Neill said, his stomach starting to act up again at the memory.

"They just tried to impress us, sir," Major Samantha Carter said, "its not often the Russian Air Force has to use four MiG-25's as taxi for three Americans and one Jaffa."

"I know, Carter, I know," O'Neill replied, not liking to be chided over, "I just don't feel comfortable sitting in something that was made by people who were less sober then I am."

"But you like beer a lot, sir?"

"Precisely!"

Teal'c looked a bit puzzled, then tentatively he imitated O'Neill's drinking gesture.

"See, even Teal'c gets it," O'Neill said and pointed to the Jaffa.

Daniel meanwhile was studying the latest aerial photographs given to them a few hours ago when they had exited the Russian gate.

"A penny for your thoughts, Daniel?" O'Neill asked.

"I'm just wondering, Jack, what kind of people use nuclear devices as hand grenades."

The idea had crossed Jacks mind as well and he didn't like the answer. So when unable or unwilling to come to an answer he started fidgeting with his gun.

"Well, if memory serves me right the Pentagon was studying nuclear hand grenades in the 50's and 60's. Right, Carter?" he said giving a help me out look at Sam.

'There were some studies, sir," the blond major replied, "but nothing workable ever came out of it. Certainly not something in the megaton range."

"I guess there probably wasn't much demand either to have a pocket nuke that would go off only a few feet from where you toss the damn thing," O'Neill chuckled.

"That too," Carter agreed.

"Maybe the Goa'uld have something in that range?" Daniel suggested looking at Teal'c.

"Master Bra'tac once told me that Jaffa weaponry used to include such weapons, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c replied, "until they proved too troublesome when a group of Jaffa rebelled. So the Goa'uld removed such weapons from their arsenal and rely on orbital bombardment instead when such firepower is necessary."

"Aren't we the lucky ones," O'Neill sighed, "I for one don't relish the idea of somebody lobbing a nuke to my head. Speaking on nukes, how are we on radiation?"

"So far nothing has come up, sir," Sam said as she checked their geigercounter, "it has either all settled down or it wasn't all that great to begin with."

"Clean nukes? Is that possible, Carter," O'Neill asked.

"Well, yes, sir. If you use a specific weapons grade uranium and the bombard it with-"

"Enough, Carter," Jack said, cutting the major off, "I just wanted to know if its possible. I don't need the science lecture."

"Sorry sir."

The Russian copilot turned around and said something in Russian while holding up two fingers.

"I guess that means two minutes," Jack said, he'd been in enough helicopter rides in his life to recognize that sign without needing translation, "let's saddle up, people."

Every SG-1 member for this mission was equipped with a camera and communication transmitter to their helmets so the SGC could have a direct feed via satellite as to what was happening on site.

"OK, here it goes," O'Neill said as he put his headgear on, "general, can you receive us?"

" _Loud and clear, colonel,"_ came Hammonds voice in their earpiece monitor, _"what's your situation?"_

"Still on route, sir, but almost there," Jack replied, "it took the Russians a little longer then expected. Have there been any developments?"

" _NORAD has informed us that a third unidentified flying object has entered Earth at the same location, some 45 minutes ago. Russian air-defence command claimed that something was detected on their radars leaving eastwards. They claimed it flew at mach 3.5 across Southern Siberia._ "

"That's quite fast, sir," Sam said surprised, "any idea where it went?"

" _They said they could only track in intermittently and that it went towards the Pacific north of Japan. We had an AWACS from Anchorage on route to Okinawa but it couldn't confirm their claim."_

"Russian radar has degraded a bit since the breakup, general," Jack said, "I wouldn't bet my life on it."

" _I know, colonel, NORAD has been put on a higher alert just in case. Best speed, colonel."_

"Thank you, general."

The Russian Mi-8 helicopter started its descent. The members of SG-1 readied their weapons.

"OK, people, this will be the first site," O'Neill said, "The first UFO touched down here. Later we will move on the second location. Let's do this."

The Russian helicopter touched own. The crew chief opened the door and SG-1 disembarked. The pilots then proceeded to shut down their bird.

Outside the terrain looked like a nuclear test site from the Fifties. One huge crater was now the most dominant feature, but the others were pretty impressive as well.

"Those are some big ass craters," O'Neill commented looking around, "any sign of radiation or fallout, Carter?"

"Negative sir, this is as clean as the site of any normal explosion," she said as she put away her geigercounter, "it doesn't appear that any nuclear device was ever used."

"But normal explosives don't do this amount of damage, Carter," Jack said as he pointed to a crater, "this looks like the epicenter of Hiroshima. I may not be mister science but I do know that you need a hell of a lot of explosives to make such a crater. And that one over there is even bigger!"

"I do not understand it either, sir," Sam said lost for words herself, "It doesn't make sense. Teal'c, does this look like any Goa'uld weaponry you've ever seen?"

"Not that I'm familiar with, Major Carter. The weapons Master Bra'tac mentioned could have done it. But even he had never seen them. I know from my time as first prime to Apophis that he did possess certain powerful doomsday weapons. But they have a much bigger effect. They are also meant as a last resort. To deny the enemy use of that which he had managed to take."

"That sounds só like a Goa'uld would do," O'Neill said, "if I can't have it, no one can."

"Precisely, O'Neill," Teal'c replied without noticing Jack's sarcasm.

"Shall we check out the remains of the first UFO?" Daniel said after Sam had taken some soil samples, "if the crater doesn't tell us much, may be the debris will?"

"Good thinking, Daniel. Let's go," Jack said

The SG team left the crater's edge. Meanwhile the Russian crew had a smoke outside of their machine. O'Neill gave them a quick glance to see if anyone was taking a liquid libation as well. Luckily nothing liquid seemed to be consumed except tea.

As they approached the alien ship they could see it was heavily damaged and looked far beyond salvaging. Maybe some technology could be scavenged from it, but probably not much. Besides the round ship lay the bodies of several dead aliens.

"Hey look, a flying saucer," O'Neill couldn't help but remark, "although not so flying anymore."

"Well, it certainly looks circular," Daniel said. He knelt next to one of the bodies in order to examine it.

"This doesn't look like a Goa'uld, guys," he said, "Or a Jaffa for that matter. In fact I've never seen an alien like him before."

"Same here," Major Carter said kneeling next to another.

"I've never seen such aliens before either, Daniel," Teal'c said as he examined some of the wounds, "these looked like they were killed with a sharp blade."

"The fact that some of them are lying in pieces is a dead giveaway, Teal'c," Jack said examing a dead stiff himself, "These guys were literally gutted."

"I wonder what happened to them?" Major Carter said.

"From the looks of it, Carter, I'd say they met with the seven Samurai," Jack said and picked up a limb, which he examined up closely.

"Strange that these bodies survived the ship being blown up," Daniel mused out loud.

"It would appear that their armor protected them," Major Carter said as she poked one dead alien's armor.

O'Neill tugged the barrel of his gun underneath the edge of one alien's armor. It came along as he pulled the gun up.

"Flexible stuff," he said impressed, "It stretches like rubber but can survive Hiroshima level blasts. If the Area 51 types get their hands on it they have us clad like that in no time."

"It would be a great discovery, sir," Sam agreed.

"I bet ya it would," O'Neill remarked as he got up.

"It didn't stop the sharp blade though," Teal'c remarked, "so maybe its does have its limits."

"Still, could be helpful though," O'Neill said, "it might stop a staff weapon cold, we don't meet that many Jaffa armed with swords."

Meanwhile Daniel had started to examine some of the ship's remains.

"It doesn't have much markings," he said surprised, "I'm so used to Goa'uld or Tok'ra ships being covered in writings on the inside. This one is almost devoid of anything."

"Speaking of those markings, what do they say, Daniel?" Jack asked as he followed his friend inside the ship's remains, "those Goa'uld markings I mean? I've always wondered about them."

"Oh, the usual like you would find on Egyptian temples, Jack," Daniel replied without looking back, "the pharaohs inscribed them with their own great deeds and accomplishments. Your average Goa'uld having a bigger ego, I'm sure you get the picture."

"Quite," Jack nodded, "so this looks very un-Goa'uld then?"

"That or whoever owned this ship didn't have a need to constantly let everybody know he was some sort of big Kahuna."

"Either that or he knew he was big fish," Jack suddenly realized, "a very big one."

"Well, whoever he was, he's either gone or dead," Major Carter said, "maybe we should move on to the second landing site. I'm sure the area 51 cleaning crews can sort things out here."

"I think so too, Carter," O'Neill agreed, "did you get all this, General?"

" _Loud and clear, colonel. The team is already on its way. Best go to site 3 first. It landed last and is slightly closer."_

SG-1 returned to the Russian helicopter. The Russian crew got up, extinguished their cigarettes, put away their thermos flasks with tea and went inside to start up the Mi-8. Once everybody was on board the rotor blades started to whir and in a cloud of dust the Mi-8 took off.

"Site 3 is just 3 miles north of here," O'Neill said, "with site 2 just to the west. Let's keep things sharp, people."

The Russian helicopter was there in no time and touched down near a small crater. In it lay a small ballshaped object, some 1.5 meters in diameter.

"It looks like an escape pod," Daniel Jackson said as SG-1 congregated around the craters edge.

"An escape pod that can travel at FTL speeds, Daniel," Major Carter said, "this thing was detected in the outer solar system and arrived here in less then an hour. We don't have anything remotely on it."

"There appears to be some writings on it," O'Neill said and turned to Daniel, "can you decipher them, Daniel?"

"I'm not sure," Daniel said as he studied the writings, "it could be a name, it could also just be a serial number. Without a Rosetta stone your guess is as good as mine."

"Rosetta stone?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, something which gives you the same text in different languages. Like that station where we found that old guy with the four languages, remember?"

"Oh yeah."

"You can look inside," Major Carter said as she descended into the crater, "there is a door here with a porthole."

"What's inside, Carter?" Jack asked

"Looks like a seat, sir."

"Just one seat, Carter?"

"It looks like a single seater, sir."

"I guess mass invasion of the tiny alien critters is out of the question. But where's the occupant, Carter."

"Maybe that bogey that showed up on the Russian radar?" Daniel suggested.

"And he'd leave his ship behind," O'Neill snorted, "what do you think he is, Superman?"

"Maybe he had a jetpack," Daniel suggested but earned a disapproving look from Jack.

"Ever tried sticking your head out of the window at mach 3, Daniel? Maybe you could ask that Russian pilot. Although that would probably mean asking for a replacement. So better disregard my suggestion, Daniel. Carter, any idea what caused this crater?"

"Best guess, sir, I'd say it is the standard way for this thing to land, sir. There doesn't appear to be any landing gear. This thing just smacks down at great speed causing the crater."

"Must make for one a hell of a ride. I'd hate to be the one sitting in one when one of these babies comes down crashing," O'Neill shuddered at the thought alone, "can you open it, Carter?"

"There doesn't appear to be a switch, sir," she said after more examination, "maybe its remote controlled."

"What, Like a garage door?"

"Something like that, sir."

"O'Neill," Teal'c yelled from behind them. While the others were busy with the craft he had studying the ground.

"What's up, Teal'c?" Jack asked.

"There were several people here," Teal'c said and pointed to marks on the ground, "I guess some eight or nine of them."

"People, not aliens, right?" O'Neill asked cautiously.

"They do appear to be human like yourself, O'Neill," Teal'c said and again pointed to the footprints, "There's something strange about these tracks, though."

"What, Teal'c?"

"They appear to arrive and come out of nowhere. As if they came from the air and left that way again. These tracks go that way, then nothing."

"How can that be?"

"Maybe he was wearing that jetpack?" Daniel suggested with a slight smile. O'Neill rolled his eyes.

"It does look like the people arrived from the west, O'Neill," Teal'c said looking at Jack.

"That's where site 2 is," Jack said. Teal'c nodded.

"Then maybe we should go there, Jack," Daniel said, "this looks like another cold trail. I can't read those markings. We might as well go and look over there."

"I think so too, sir," Major Carter said, "there is little I can do here also. Maybe I could open this back at the SGC with adequate equipment, but not here."

Jack nodded in agreement. This place was colder then site 1 and that had been the oldest site.

"Alright," he said, "General Hammond, do you concur?"

" _Affirmative, colonel, proceed to site 2. Will you take the helicopter?"_

"Nah, we'll go on foot. It's close by. Plenty of time to take the Russian death trap on the way home."

" _Alright, but be careful."_

"Aren't I always, sir?" Jack grinned.

x

* * *

x

"There is another crater, sir." Major Carter said as she pointed to another crater with another spherical ship inside, "looks like the same setup."

"I still can't understand why anyone would build a ship that uses a crash for a landing," O'Neill shuddered, "it's stupid. Let alone painful in the occupant coming down."

"On the contrary, O'Neill," Teal'c said with an almost dreamy look of admiration in his eyes, "this would make for one hell of an assault landing craft. The explosion of the landing would knock out and confuse the enemy while delivering you right into their midst."

"If you say so Teal'c," Jack said without much conviction, "suddenly that Russian chopper ride doesn't seem so bad."

"There is something else here, look," Daniel said and pointed the other direction.

There was indeed something there, it looked like a large white box.

"Let's check it out," O'Neill said and SG-1 approached the object, guns at the ready.

"Well, what do you know?" Jack said with disbelief in his voice as he recognized the object, "it's a bloody fridge."

"What's a refrigerator doing in the middle of nowhere, Jack?" Daniel asked.

"How the hell should I know, Daniel, why don't you check it out?"

He hadn't actually meant for Daniel to do it but the archeologist did it anyway.

"Be careful," Major Carter said, "it could be a…"

Too late as Daniel Jackson opened the refrigerator and looked inside

"Are you thirsty, Jack?" Daniel asked while still looking inside.

"Sorta, it's kind of hot here," Jack asked surprised.

Daniel grabbed something inside and then threw it towards O'Neill who grabbed it.

"Coca Cola," Jack said as he recognized the soft drinks can, "of all the things. Hey, nicely chilled."

O'Neill popped open the can and took a swig.

"Ah, classic," he sighed, the first swig always tasted the best, "I never liked that new stuff."

Major Carter did not look very amused.

"It could have been a trap sir," she said angrily.

"Relax major," Jack smiled at Sam, "I'm sure Daniel can find you something."

"I can give you a Sprite, Sam," Daniel grinned and held up a green can.

"Alright, give me that," Sam sighed in resignation, causing Jack to smirk.

"Teal'c, what can I get you?"

"Do you have any fruit juice, Daniel Jackson?"

"It has mango," Daniel replied holding up an unfamiliar can.

"That will be fine," Teal'c nodded and caught the can Daniel tossed at him.

" _SG-1, what the hell are you doing,"_ came the impatient voice of General Hammond back at the SGC.

"Just having a little break, general," O'Neill answered, "it's a bit dusty here, sir. I can also say it's true what they say, sir, things do get better with Coke."

" _We had to go to a lot of troubles to get you there, colonel,"_ Hammond's voice said in a tone that he was not bloody amused.

"There is nobody here sir," Jack shrugged, "it seems to me that whoever was here took care of whoever, or whatever landed on site 1 and then had a relaxing wait here for the other ships to arrive. Ah, a Coke sure goes down smoothly in this heat. Can we take along cool boxes on our next mission, general?"

" _Get on with the mission, colonel. Oh, and the answer to that question is no."_

"Hey, you guys have you checked out the sell by date on these cans," Major Carter said as she held her can up close.

O'Neill took a final gulp then checked the underside. It said best before 10-19.

"Do I see this right? Mine said best before 10-19. As October 2019?

"Unless they mean 1919," Daniel said.

"That would make them a bit too old and undrinkable, Daniel. Besides, I think they used bottles back then."

"But 2019 would put it into the future," Major Carter said, that would mean…."

"Time travel, Carter," O'Neill groaned, "I know. Damn, I hate time travel! Why can it never be easy?"

O'Neill looked towards Teal'c who was still drinking from his can.

"Don't you have anything to say, Teal'c?"

"I like mango," the Jaffa shrugged.

O'Neill rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Alright. The break is over, people, "this goes to Area 51. Back to the other ship."

The other ship turned out to be slightly different. For starters it was open. It also didn't have the same markings as the other. It seemed devoid of them. While Teal'c stayed outside the crater to keep a watchful eye on things the rest of SG-1 ventured into it in order to take a look inside the space ship.

"It would appear that this ship was made for humanoids, sir," Major Carter said looking inside. A big man could just fit in here."

"So it would seem, Carter. Daniel, can you discern anything about this machine? "

"Not a whole lot, Jack," Daniel shook his head, "there doesn't appear to be any more writings inside then there are outside. Maybe if I go inside I can see something."

"Be careful, Daniel."

Daniel acknowledged O'Neill and stepped inside. For his size there was plenty of elbow space, although Teal'c might have had a little more trouble. Daniel checked around but beyond the buttons it didn't appear that anything had writings on it that could be a clue towards its origin.

"I'm sorry Jack," he eventually said, "there doesn't appear to be anything here except these control buttons. And for all I know it could say on and off."

"Damn, not even a made in Rigel 6 or something?"

"Well, there's a touch screen here on the door. I could press some buttons to see if it turns on. Then we could learn some more."

"Tempting, but let's not do that, Daniel, for all we know it launches you towards Pluto and then we have to pester the Tok'ra to come and rescue you again. Better to come out of it, let the Area 51 boys work out a sweat figuring this thing out."

Meanwhile Major Carter was on here knees examining the underside of the opened door.

"Hey, you guys, check this out," she said, "there's some sort of symbol on the door."

"Can you see it Carter," Jack asked as he knelt beside her.

"Not really, sir, maybe if we could lift this door?"

"OK, Daniel, get out, Teal'c, give us a hand."

The Jaffa shouldered his weapon and came down to help his team mates lift the door up. Which turned out to be surprisingly easy. As the door came up the symbol became visible. It was a black disc with an upside down white arrow on top with a smaller black triangle, also upside down, inside.

Suddenly Teal'c stepped back

"I think I know this symbol," Teal'c said, somewhat disturbed.

That worried O'Neill as he never knew Teal'c to be shaken by anything unless it was something big.

"You know this symbol, Teal'c? Are you sure about it?"

"I think I do, O'Neill. I have never seen it myself. But master Bra'tac once described it to me when he trained me to become first prime to Apophis."

"What is it, Teal'c?"

"The Goa'uld are powerful, but sometimes not always powerful enough. Or sometimes they just lack the necessary manpower or resources to do what they set out to do. Master Bra'tac once said that there once was a world, extremely troublesome, that repulsed attack after attack. Briefing Apophis about the latest defeat Master Bra'tac feared for his life, but he was lucky as he was not in charge of that assault. Apophis seemed shaken as if not knowing what to do. Whatever he tried he could not take this world, but he coveted its resources. He then proceeded to call upon the services of a certain warlord."

"Another Goa'uld?" asked Daniel, but Teal'c shook no.

"No, this warlord is not of Goa'uld origin, Daniel Jackson. Apophis ordered Master Bra'tac to retreat. Within a week he was ordered to return with a single base ship. The warlord had sent his finest force. They met Apophis and received payment. Then they went to the surface. Within 10 minutes all resistance was broken. Within 2 hours every living being on that planet had been killed. The worst part of it was that their number was only five and they didn't carry any weapons but their bare hands."

That shook SG-1. Five beings capable of laying waste to an entire planet with their bare hands?

"This vessel bears the markings of that force, O'Neill." Teal'c said as he pointed at the symbol.

"Do you happen to know the name of this warlord, Teal'c," O'Neill asked.

Teal'c nodded.

"Master Bra'tac called him Freeza."


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

 **'What a weird place'**

x

x

Isn't it strange, Belmovekk thought as he flew over this Earth, how is it possible for two worlds to have such a convergent evolution? This world had the same animals and people then the world he'd left. Amazing! Beldin would have loved to theorize about that. At least it made things easier. No need to get acquainted with the local fauna. And things would probably taste the same as well. Variations in spices were often enough to make one run to the outhouse, let alone having to get accustomed to different foods altogether.

There were some big differences though. He had visited a city called Paris. It was a big city. Big as in making Tol Honeth or Mal Zeth weep in despair and cower in a corner of the room. He used to be used to such big cities. Hell, Rubanis was one big giant city covering most of its planet. But 4000 years on a more rural planet had sort of made him forget what such big cities were like.

When on the job he preferred big cities. They were anonymous, perfect for getting the feel of a place while going about unnoticed. Also great for getting around when not using chi powered flight as they tended to be great hubs of local transport. Unfortunately this world was politically fragmented so long distance travel required getting identity papers. Training had taught him that there were usually always individuals willing to supply the right documentation for the right price. All one had to do is find the proper contacts in the criminal underworld.

He found the right people all right. Greed was indeed universal. It usually always requires meeting some seedy people in some seedy bar in some seedy district. Money had been exchanged and he had gotten an address. A few hours later he was in the proud possession of an EU passport stating he was Pierre Sandestin, native of Orly, France.

Who knew, he might even visit it some day.

After getting his passport things went pearshaped for the first time.

Five minutes after leaving the forgerer's place Belmovekk discovered he was being followed. And it wasn't even that his shadow was quite inept, although he hadn't made mistakes like that when in basic training. Which meant he was probably dealing with an amateur. Probably a robber. It was that his follower felt all wrong. As in non-human.

Interesting!

So he decided to test him out. He looked over his shoulder and started to walk faster. Mr Wrong started to walk faster as well. He started to run, Mr. Wrong ran as well.

Finally Belmovekk ran into a dead alley. Perfect! He turned around and faced the robber. It was long after dark so he couldn't see his face.

"I always love it when they run," the robber said with a female voice, which surprised him. Female robbers? He had learned that women had more rights here on this planet then he was used to, but still…..

"Aren't you going to beg?" she said as she walked slowly towards him, "I like it when they beg."

He had said nothing, both to deny her the pleasure she craved and to study her reactions. Which seemed to be more that of a predator wanting to play with her food then an actual criminal who wanted to rob somebody. They tended to be all businesslike as in getting it over as quickly as possible.

When she came close he finally could see her face he was shocked, although he hid it well. She now had yellow eyes and a face that was twisted, animal like. That proved it, she wasn't a robber, she was a predator.

"Please beg," she said as she halted four feet away from.

"Should I beg?" Belmovekk smirked and assumed a fighting stance. She looked surprised but then she smiled as well.

"Dinner wants to play? How nice. I could use the exercise," she said. Then she launched herself at him.

It wasn't really a fight. She had above human strength but no technique to speak of. She came at him like a drunken berserker. He deftly evaded her attack and stepped out of her way. She turned around and tried to attack him again.

This time he stood his ground, blocked her attack with one hand and delivered one punch to the side of her head and she was out cold. Truly pitiful, he thought as he stood over her. Still, she intrigued him so he looked around to see if anyone had seen them, then he picked her up and lifted her on his shoulder and flew off to find some secluded spot.

x

* * *

x

Her head hurt like mad when she woke up and a bright light hurt her eyes, blurring her vision. She tried to reach for her head but found that her hands wouldn't move. Fumbling around she came to the realization that she was strung up by two heavy and sturdy looking chains. She panicked and wrestled with her bonds to break free, but it was to no avail. The chains proved unbreakable even to one like her.

Unable to escape the panic eventually subsided and she calmed down enough to start taking in her surroundings. It would appear that she was being held in an old cold storage cell. Maybe in some factory or industrial abattoir.

"Ah, the sleeper has awakened," a voice said behind her.

Startled she turned her head around. It was the man she had been trying to attack earlier. He had looked so out of place in his weird looking clothes, unfamiliar with the neighborhood, yet strong enough to make for a tasty snack. Yet, as she suddenly remembered, he had floored her with one punch. And it wasn't because he had good martial arts chops. She had fought martial artists. They were good against other humans, but they lacked the power to take on vampires. Not without different techniques.

Damn! If only she could get free. She re-examined her bonds and it was only then that she noticed where the bright light came from. A globe of energy hung above her head, floating free in the air shining brightly. Then something clicked in her head.

"Are you a mage?" she asked, "Cause if you are, I'm sorry! I meant no disrespect. If I had known I wouldn't."

No one in his right mind attacks a mage, witch, wizard or warlock. Not without some serious backup that is. What they lacked in physical power they always made up for with serious juju and nasty artifacts. But before she could finish her sentence she felt great pain. Pain like she had never felt before. It lasted for like an eternity. Then it was over and she panted heavily. The man had moved from behind her to in front of her and sat down.

"That was so you will know what to expect if you don't cooperate," he said and pulled up a chair, "now, let's talk."

x

* * *

x

The interrogation had gone smoothly. There were some failures to communicate, mostly because of gaps in his knowledge, but the occasional stimulation of nerve endings kept her compliant and talkative. He had learned quite a lot.

Originally he had thought she was some alien masquerading as a human but to his surprise she turned out to be an indigenous form of life. That is if you count demons and other denizens of the Hell dimensions as indigenous. They usually had their own dimensions. The fact that they had crossed over into this realm and had a foothold on this planet wasn't good. He liked it even less to learn that she was half human. Bad enough that demons made this planet their home, even worse that they mingled with humans. Who strangely enough didn't seem to notice that demons even existed on their world. That is, most of them didn't

She called herself a vampire and she and her kind operated underneath the radar of humanity as it were, preying on mankind. They had no means of procreating other then sucking a human dry of all their blood and then turning them, a process which basically killed the host but allowed a demon to live inside its body. Truly insidious.

Even though they viewed humans as mere cattle, they still feared getting noticed by them. Although they had a low opinion of human law enforcement they feared other branches of their government, always afraid that something called secret government services were after them. That and something called the Slayer. She had experience with neither. The Slayer was supposed to be a mythical warrior, a champion of humanity capable of fighting the demons that lived on this world. It sounded too much like folklore and myth.

Secret branches of government doing secret things however, that he understood all too well. He had after all been in that exact same business. At one point she even believed he was part of such an organization. He then tortured her some more to find out her methods to operate under the radar of human society. After all, they might prove useful. To bad she hadn't existed for that long yet, barely 30 years as a vampire. Her MO consisted mostly of moving from city to city every 4 or 5 months and robbing her victims to fund whatever she needed. Often getting the necessary paperwork to get by from the same people he had. If you think about it, for a demon species that tended to look down upon humans as food and thought itself superior it was a pathetic existence.

He had asked her how her kind had come into this world. Of that she knew little. There were those who knew ancient lore but she had never been that interested in it. She did know there were places, called Hellmouths, where more of her kind and others congregated. They were also dangerous places because this was often where the fabled Slayer was supposed to be. The biggest of them was said to be currently active on the other side of the world. Interesting, he should check it out when he had some time.

Having gotten almost everything from her what he needed to know he asked her how her kind could be killed. It took a new round of torture, quite a lot actually but he got carried away. She just repulsed him which led to him into getting a bit enthusiastic. By then she begged to die. Which wasn't good. This was supposed to be about getting information, not opening that chapter of his life again. Not after he had sworn not to.

It turned out beside the usual Saiyan means of killing things, wood through the heart, sunlight and something called holy water also did the trick. Active places of worship scared them off, as did some religious paraphernalia. And a vampire could not enter a private dwelling unless invited. Although public places and even a simple doormat that said welcome was enough to act as an invitation.

Since he had no wood, sunlight or holy water he settled for some good old fashioned Saiyan means. He charged a small energy attack, powerful enough to kill her but not to blow up the building, then killed her. To his amazement she didn't blow up into tiny bloody bits but crumbled into dust. At least it was less messy he thought at first. Then he noticed the dust everywhere, even on his clothes.

Just as messy after all.

OK, what now? After that He had scoured various public libraries to find history texts and found plenty of them. But none had ever mentioned vampires and demons and Hellmouths. That was odd. Surely these things couldn't go unnoticed in a society which seemed fairly open and inquisitive. After all, judging on the one he had captured and tortured it wasn't like they were that good at hiding and forming some sort of secret society.

It was only on the way to the library that he passed a bookstore and noticed a book, a novel by the looks of it, called Interview with a Vampire. A brief glance confirmed that it was indeed about these creatures. Which meant that while they may not have been noticed or dismissed by historians, they had however managed to get subconsciously noticed by this planet's popular culture.

He was about to buy the novel when he suddenly heard a voice.

" _It may be wise to visit the God of this world afterwards,"_ a dry voice inside Belmovekk's head spoke, _"That is, if you deserve more serious knowledge then trashy romance novels."_

You don't last for 4000 years as a Disciple of Aldur and not learn of the existence of the two dueling Necessities. And that they could speak in one's mind. That is, the one they worked for did. He too had heard that dry voice speak in his mind before.

"It is you again?" he answered, "Or are you the opposite? You guys always sound the same whenever I get to hear you."

" _Who else would put up with you?"_ said the voice dryly, _"once you are done reading Anne Rice, it will be good manners for you to visit the local God, After all, you are in his backyard. Besides, he's bound to know something most people here don't. He's very good at watching."_

"He doesn't sound that powerful then!" Belmovekk said, causing a customer nearby to look at him funny, "Is he only present in spiritual form like Aldur and the others?

" _It's not always about power, Belmovekk, you should know that by now. And no, his is a physical presence. He's not what the people of this world think he is though. Now be nice and pay your respect. And please don't blow up anything beforehand."_

And with that remark the presence was gone.

What's the universe coming to if even Necessities start have attitudes, he couldn't help but think. He then quickly paid for the novel, then he left the bookstore and went back to the abandoned warehouse he had used to interrogate the vampire and which he used as his base of operation. There he fetched his scouter and went up to the roof and activated it.

In its display it gave him a map of this world with various numbers indicating powerlevels displaying the locations of the largest powers on this planet. Judging by the looks of it it would seem Goku's merry band of brothers had disbanded throughout the world.

There was Vegeta's powerlevel, the proud prince of 2.5 Saiyan subjects these days. Now residing on the west coast of what he now knew was the United States, premier nation of this world. The Son family on the other hand were in what the maps said was China, together with the Namek. Goku didn't bother him, despite being the only other know Super Saiyan in the universe. Judging by his behavior Goku was both honest and honorable, be it kinda stupid. As was Vegeta. The Namek could be a problem though. He seemed to be the smart one of that group. Smart ones were always trouble. Stupid ones were rarely trouble, unless of course they considered themselves smart.

The humans were also scattered. One was with Vegeta, one somewhere in that great ocean to east, probably on an island and the last one was not that far from Goku. There were a lot of other powerlevels, mostly in the 100 range, which the scouter only displayed when he started to zoom in. With the average human powerlevel being 5 the bigger ones must be those vampires and demons.

He keyed the scouter to ignore the larger powers and only display the small ones. The image he then got surprised him. Look at that, he thought, the vampire was right. They did congregate around certain spots. With a massive congregation on the westcoast of those United States.

He then keyed the scouter to ignore these demonic powers as well to see what would turn up next. After all, if this God were physically present on this planet, surely he should turn up on his scouter. Not even Aldur himself had proven to be invisible when on his scarce visits. Although it was hard though, as Gods tended to exist in multiple dimensions at once, you could only detect a part of their power, and even then only intermittedly. And to do it you had to basically tell the scouter to ignore every living being on the planet.

Doing just that the scouter showed an empty planet at first. Then he turned up the search parameters to maximum sensitivity. Which was fortunate that he had told the scouter to ignore his fellow Saiyan, cause if he had gone Super Saiyan with his scouter to maximum sensitivity it would have exploded on his face. And he rather liked his old scouter. It had served him well.

For what seemed like several minutes nothing happened. Then a blip suddenly appeared. And disappeared. And then reappeared. There, he found him. Just like with Aldur or Torak. It must be this worlds God.

As the scouter tried to get a grip on him, still winking in and out of existence it seemed like he was the only other sufficiently big powerlevel on this world not present in Goku's merry band. Bigger then the demons he had found, yet strangely enough still smaller then the humans of Goku's group. Then again, the Necessity did imply this God's strength was not in his powerlevel so it would stand to reason he could be outclassed by a few good men. Maybe he was a schemer and he had his fingers in about a dozen pies at once. Some Gods were like that. The voice was right. Strength isn't always the be all, end all. The intelligent fighter can beat the strong one if he's smarter. The guy sure seemed to live high up though. Higher then even the highest mountain. Which was on a different continent. Belmovekk chuckled as he realized the implication. Maybe Heaven was closer to Earth then people here realized.

x

* * *

x

Flying as a bird certainly has its advantages, like stealth, but speed or height were just not one of them thought Belmovekk. He never understood why the other sorcerers always preferred to fly as birds. Even Beldin who had become fairly adept at the art of chi manipulating preferred his bird form. Sure it was stealthy enough, but there was nothing like the pure thrill of flying yourself, the wind blazing through your hair and a wake of pure chi in your trail. Which was why Belmovekk had never taken to transfiguration. He could modify his appearance to look differently, but to become an animal? Not really his thing.

But since he was in an unknown environment stealth was more or less of the essence so he decided to refrain from chi powered flight. At least he could use local transport for most of the journey. The fastest mode of travel on this world was air travel and was he in luck that a high speed service existed between Europe and the United States.

So in the end he found himself traveling first class at twice the speed of sound on board of Concorde. After all, from time to time one has to travel in style. At least, that was what the humans called it. Personally he'd called it a small cramped tube with small cramped chairs full of not so cramped fat people. At least the good looking female flight attends served that fine bubbly wine. He must introduce Belgarath to it once he got home, he'd love it.

At the travel facility they called airport he found more novels dealing with vampires and demons and he had read some of them. They all boiled down to the same thing, while apparently people here didn't believe such beings existed, let alone in their midst, they do loved to read about them and be scared with them. Some of the books were absolutely horrifying to read. It boggled the mind that they actually wanted to read about such things.

The really interesting thing was that while it was clearly fictional work, there did seem to be a consensus on how to kill these things. Like the vampire had said fiction also had them vulnerable to wooden objects through the heart, sunlight, decapitation and holy water. The coincidence was too great to dismiss. This indicated that there was a subculture that knew of these beings and that knowledge was being spread through popular culture.

There was also massive volumes of material of disreputable standing that dealt with non-terrestrial life, people claiming to meet aliens, people being kidnapped by aliens, people getting anal probed (what the hell was that about?). He knew from a fact from when he was still in the Royal Household that there were species out there who gathered information on other species by taking samples. Of course in those cases taking samples consisted of abducting some individuals. And never to return them, because that might alarm the species under observation. Let alone stick objects into where the sun didn't shine. So chances were that most alien interaction being reported were more likely to be of demonic nature. Still, those grey aliens sounded remarkably much like Asgard. But they weren't known to abduct people. Let alone stick things in their bums.

The flight was uneventful although it did introduce him to something called the in flight movie. Basically a recorded play with better stages and props then at a theater . Belmovekk had usually fallen asleep at every play he'd ever been to so even a recorded one was no exception. Upon arrival in JFK he next took an internal flight. Where Europe had been divided in several small political entities, this Unites States had the advantage of being vast and little to no checks for internal flights. This aircraft was not so fast as the Concorde, yet just as cramped inside. There also seemed to be a lot more fat people inside.

Upon reaching his end destination Belmovekk booked himself into a hotel room for some sleep and some further research on the fictional books dealing with vampires and demons. After several hours he called it quits and switched on the visual entertainment unit to watch what they called the news.

Great was his surprise when he stumbled on a channel that showed in-flight movies of a sexual nature. He knew from past experience that some cultures enjoyed watching sexual imagery, but Saiyans had never indulged in such decadent behavior. And after 4000 years of a more primitive surrounding to say he was quite intrigued was an understatement. It made for an entertaining evening.

The next day began with some unexpected financial surprises. Apparently watching sexual plays on the visual entertainment unit wasn't part of the financial arrangement and despite his protestations the inn keeper refused to budge.

After that he set out to find this planet's illusive God. Chi flight was still out so he again needed local transport. Which wasn't so easy anymore as while there were lots of places where you could rent small road vehicles, they all required a document that you had passed something called a driving test. And while he could probably find somebody that could forge him this required document, he wasn't so sure that he could drive them. They were very mechanical, with no computers doing most of the work for you. Driving them was obviously a skill that had to be learned. Maybe later, but not now.

Some further inquiry led him to something called the bus depot where he boarded a larger ground vehicle that would bring him closer to his final destination. But still not close enough. Eventually the closest he was able to get with this 'bus' still got him in the middle of nowhere in some small town.

He was about to break cover by taking to the air when he noticed some locals standing by the road holding up thumbs towards the traffic. And a ground vehicle stopping and taking one on board. Further inquiry netted him the basics and ground rules of something called hitchhiking.

Hitchhiking was a curious thing, Belmovekk couldn't help but think as the car that he had been in drove away. His first ride was with a fat local wearing a white hat with a large brim who seamed eager to have a conversation with him. If you define conversation as holding a monologue diatribe against what he sometimes called the government, and sometimes Washington. Apparently the government was taking all his money in taxes and giving it all to women, minorities and foreigners. Belmovekk briefly considered mentioning to him that if the government did take all his money, why would he be able to afford his big car and be so well fed, but ultimately he decided not to. Usually people who like to make bitter speeches don't like the errors in them pointed out to them. When the ride was over the man also expected some money for something called gas.

His second ride, which brought him to his current location in something called the Indian reservation, was of a different racial stock, and apparently a native of the place. He didn't talk much, which was an improvement over the previous driver, he was generous enough to share some food and drink, and when Belmovekk offered him money for gas he immediately refused to accept. The universe could use more of such people.

The final stretch was only a dozen miles so Belmovekk decided to walk the last part when in sight and do some running when out of sight. And then he got the biggest surprise since coming on this planet.

He had his scouter back on and since this planet's God seemed to reside up in the air he had his head looking up all the time. Which caused him to walk very hard and painfull into a solid wall. As he fell backwards, he sat up straight and got said biggest surprise.

Where there didn't used to be anything a tower now rose up into the sky. For he may have been looking upwards mostly, there was still no ignoring an object of this magnitude. That would be like not noticing Mal Zeth when looking mostly at its surrounding mountains. Some things were to big not to take notice. And so was this tower. And yet he hadn't noticed it until he walked straight into it.

Not only that, it was also a strange tower cause not only was it probably the tallest tower he had ever seen, it was also way too thin to be able to support such impossible length. For it went straight up into the clouds. It was the tower to end all towers. And yet as he looked aside it left no shadow upon the earth. If you didn't look for it you would pass it by not even noticing it. Must be a form of passive defense, he thought. Stealth magic probably, or an illusion. Maybe even a compulsion to ignore.

It was clearly too tall to climb, although if he wanted too he could probably do it. There was enough relief on the thing for grip. If he were Belgarath or Beldin though he would probably just transform into a bird and fly all the way up there. Although that high required being a condor. Which he hadn't seen in these parts. But he was not Belgarath or Beldin. He was Belmovekk the Saiyan. He was going to fly this his preferred way. As he was approaching the house of a God he might as well do it in some real style. He launched himself into the air in a blaze of white chi and followed the tower upwards. In no time he went up, passing a substructure along the way which seemed to be inhabited. He'd' have to check that out later.

Up and up it went, until the tower finally ended and flared into what seemed to be a very large dish. No way it could be supported solely by the impossibly thin tower. Above the bowl was flat and covered in tiles, buildings and trees. OK, as Godly dwellings went he was now officially impressed. Aldur only had a simple tower which he called his home. Kal Torak on the other hand did go for ostentatious palaces and cities, but he also had no taste or style that would make them really stand out. This on the other hand was both elegance and stealthy in plain sight as well.

After hanging in the air for a minute to observe the place Belmovekk made a graceful turn above the final structure and landed between two rows of palm trees. At the end of the palm rowed lane somebody stood waiting for him. It was a very old looking green man, much like the Namek that was with the Saiyans. The old man was looking very much his age and leaned on a heavy wooden stick. Was this a God? Gods age here? He sure didn't look like a God though. But then again Aldur sure didn't look like a God either if he rode that rickety cart of his. Maybe the old look was to exude an aura of wisdom. Sometimes you were more apt to respect an old man more for his wisdom then you did a younger looking one. No matter, he'd better be polite. Polite was always good. Polite was cheap, it didn't cost anything and it made almost everyone happy. So Belmovekk dropped onto a knee and bowed.

"Are't thou the God of this world?," he asked in that flowery speech the Gods seemed to prefer, "For my name is Belmovekk and I bring thee greetings and tidings of my Lord and Master, the God Aldur and his father, UL."

That went well, Belmovekk hoped. The green God of earth just looked a bit surprised. Maybe it didn't go so well?

"Well, thanks I guess," the earth God said a little uncertain, "although I must confess that I've never heard of this Aldur."

Belmovekk scratched behind his ears. OK, of all the things he had expected and run through in his mind, this one seemed to have slipped his mind.

"Alright," he said a little hesitantly, where to start?"

"I always find that the beginning is usually the best place to start any story," the Earth God said.

"I suppose you are right," Belmovekk said, then he cupped his chin, "But what if a story has multiple beginnings?"

"Any beginning is as good as any," the Earth God smiled, "But since you are here, why not start with yours?"

"Alright," the Saiyan said, then he looked at the Earth God, "but before I proceed, how must I address thee, great celestial one?"

"Please leave out the thee's and thou's. My name is Kami-Sama. But you can call me Kami as most do."

An informal God. How refreshing, Belmovekk.

"Walk with me as you tell me about yourself, Belmovekk," Kami asked asked as he gestured Belmovekk to walk with him, "We don't get many Saiyans here, and the ones that do usually don't seem to be that polite."

"My race can be a pain in the, uh, behind, Kami," Belmovekk replied trying to keep up with Kami who appeared to be fitter then he looked, "I know, I used to be like them."

"Now I'm even more curious for your beginnings," Kami said.

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"So am I," Piccolo said halfway across the world.

"Something wrong, Piccolo?" Goku asked as he halted his training session with his son.

"Nothing special," Piccolo said with a sly smile, "If you don't mind I am going to meditate over there.

"Suit yourself," Goku said, then he sighed as he looked at his son, "I think you're doing it wrong, son."

As Goku corrected his son's stand Piccolo found a secluded spot to float over and meditate. And eavesdrop. While he hated the special connection that existed between him and Kami, sometimes, like in right now, it did have its uses.

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x

"I was born in the Leek district," Belmovekk told Kami as they walked past the Tenka Bowl's rim, "into House Rabar. We were a minor house, not commoners, but not Elite either. My father made a good fortune having fought in several warbands that contracted for Freeza's father, King Cold, so he decided that he was going to invest it into our family and move us up in the world as it were. Now you can't buy yourself into becoming Elite. But you can move up in power. My father decided to invest in his children."

"At age three he hired one of the best teachers to train me and later my sister. We were trained mercilessly during our childhoods. I know, that sounds horrible to most people, but that is usually quite normal for Saiyan kids. We did not know any better. Although most kids get trained by their parents or in schools. Actual private trainers are rarer. Especially at that age. Usually only the children of Elites have that luxury. It cost my father a lot of money to hire our teacher, Satiya Tubera. I grew to hate and love that man. As you should. Any teacher which you do not also hate does not do a good job. Good memories, good memories."

"It cost my father almost all of his fortune but it paid off, by the time I was sixteen I was good enough to pass the proficiency tests of the Mount Selyesna monasteries. An honor only bestowed to Elites and older veterans. I studied the six styles to my teacher's satisfaction, then I fulfilled my father's dream and applied and got accepted into the Royal Household. Within months I was sent on my first expedition. Which is an euphemism for I had to kill a lot people to cleanse their planet."

"And how did that make you feel?" Kami asked.

"At the time? Pretty good actually," Belmovekk said, "It was only later that I learned the error of my ways."

"I always wondered, how can a person do such a thing?" Kami asked, "Go out and kill people that he doesn't even know? Exterminate an entire planet?"

"Because his religion and king tell him it is good and righteous and lesser races do not count? Because a man could earn a lot of money? For love of a good fight?" Belmovekk replied without blinking an eye, causing Kami to frown.

"That came out quickly," he said frowning, to which the Saiyan shrugged.

"I had 4000 years to come with an answer," he said, then he looked away over the edge, "Personally I think we just let ourselves become evil. Let our culture and religion become perverted until we only became a travesty of who we once were and thought nothing of the things we once did. I am sure of this."

"Why?" Kami asked.

"There are dissidents in any culture, Kami," Belmovekk said, "People who refuse to tow the line. Who think beyond the norm. On Planet Vegeta it was usually the religious who rebelled. Mostly it was non-violent. Refusing to participate in Freeza's expeditions. Only rarely did they turn violent."

"One time it did. Hostages were being taken, including among them the King's sister. So the King ordered my regiment to take them out. As an infiltrator it was my job to know my enemy. So I studied them. Including some of their religious texts. Said to be amongst the oldest in existence. I used what I had learned against them and we rescued the hostages. The King was very pleased after that. I became a rising star in his court. It was only later, in my exile that I realized that those religious fanatics had a point. That when you put the oldest known religious texts, the gospels of Priya, to the newest edition they had changed. What the current edition condoned, the old text spoke against. Somewhere along the way they were changed. Or perverted."

Belmovekk stopped and dropped on his haunches at the edge.

"I think I may have damned my race, Kami," he said sullen.

"Why is that?" Kami asked, who came to a stop next to Belmovekk.

"I think we caused our Gods to turn away from us," the Saiyan said, "Whatever those fanatics had planned, it was probably our last chance as a race to turn away from oblivion. Before I killed the last of them he said that Priya would forsake us and that the end would be nigh. Soon thereafter Freeza turned against us and destroyed our planet."

Belmovekk said nothing for a while. Kami wanted to say something, that it was probably just a coincidence. That it was a far stretch to begin with. And yet….

Goku had once said that the celestial being that lived in the afterlife, Kaio Sama, had told him that it was the Saiyan God, a being much like him, who had turned away from his people in sheer disgust of what they had become and caused the destruction of planet Vegeta.

Then again, that was before they learned that it was Freeza, not some deity, that had blown up said planet. But could it be that it was the Saiyan God who had 'influenced' Freeza to do the blowing up for him?

"We were on a mission," Belmovekk suddenly continued, "our King distrusted Freeza and wanted allies. So he sent me and my regiment to cleanse a planet for them. We had done and were about to reap the spoils when the Ginyu Force came down upon us. That is when I realized our world was gone. I tried to save what remained of my regiment but to no avail. Instead I ended up being hounded by the Ginyu Force. The last thing I remembered was encountering a strange spatial anomaly. I tried to use it to shake off the Ginyu Force. And that was it, really."

"Next thing I awoke on a different world, my ship crashed next to me. I must have wandered for days, I cannot really remember. Then I was found by my Lord and Master Aldur. Who took me in. Aldur told me I had been displaced through time and space into my past, 4000 years to be exact."

"You mentioned that before," Kami wondered, "Does that mean you are an immortal?"

"No, Kami, I'm not really immortal," Belmovekk said shaking his head, "I can still die. I can still be killed. But I became a sorcerer and disciple to my Lord and Master, Aldur. Son of UL, the creator. As such I do not age, as time does not touch me and my brothers in that regard."

"You must be very fortunate indeed," Kami said, remembering how hard Vegeta, Nappa and Freeza had tried to gain something like that using the Earth and Namekkian Dragonballs.

Belmovekk sighed.

"At times it is overrated," he said, "Especially when you see friends die of old age, seeing everything change around you but you. But I always have my fellow brothers. I would gladly give my life for them and they would do the same for me."

Belmovekk got up and walked away from the edge of the bowl.

"Kami-Sama, the world I come from is not a happy one. It has become the battleground between two rivaling Necessities. Once, during the formation of the universe, an accident happened that shattered the original purpose of the universe. Where there was once one purpose there were now two. The universe cannot progress until these two Necessities have settled which one will dominate. They cannot take the field directly lest their combat shatters apart the very universe itself. So they've chosen to select a world and fight their war there by proxy. They each have chosen vessels of their liking that will be their champion and their battles will determine the outcome. To put insult to injury these battles have been preprogrammed through a series of prophecies. The dark prophecies guide the so called the Child of Dark, our prophecies guide the Child of Light."

My Master, Aldur, serves the Necessity of Light and its chosen Child of Light. But he himself, and neither me or my brethren has even been the Child of Light. The Child of Dark however has been one of the Gods of our world, Aldur's mad brother Torak. Once a fair and just God, now but a perverted mad man. His twisted will rules half the world I live in. He likes it when his depraved priests perform human sacrifice. The Child of Light which our order serves has no fixture and varies from engagement to engagement as it awaits the birth of its final champion."

x

* * *

x

Piccolo wasn't the only one listening in on Kami's conversation. High on his little planet in the afterlife a being called Kaio-Sama had listened in to the entire conversation. He curiosity always did rival that of his poor sense of humor. He wasn't a real God. His kind merely dwelt in the afterlife, just like demons kept to Hell. Through some strange fluke over time they found that dead souls came to both of their realms after dying They had set up a system whereby the dead could be sorted. They kept and trained the best and most noble ones, the absolute worst they gave to the demons in the lesser Hell dimensions to torment as part of their deal. Most however were sent back to reincarnate. That was their purpose. To do that they kept tabs on all the various Gods that inhabited the universe or watched over planets. This was the system as they thought the great creator wanted it to be. Not that they had ever seen him. All they knew he was named UL. And that weird Saiyan just mentioned his name. So for the remainder of that conversion Kaio-Sama was all antennae.

"This is all very interesting," Kami said after hearing the full story, "momentous actually. But how does this titanic struggle impact us?"

Then he suddenly realized something.

"There will be no meeting between this Children of Light and Dark here I hope?" he asked anxiously.

"Were it only that simple, Kami," Belmovekk replied as he shook his head, "I was contacted by the Necessity that my Master Aldur serves. Apparently something has both Necessities so spooked that have set aside their struggle for a while since we just had one of those meetings. They've realized that something greater is at stake. Something which shakes even them to their very core."

"And what may that be?"

"The birth of a new cosmic accident right here on this very world."

Kami's eyes grew big as saucers. So did those of Piccolo and Kaio Sama listening in.

"Accident as in what way?" Kami finally asked. To which the Saiyan replied.

"Accident as in this planet getting blown up, Kami-Sama. The previous accident also involved a key planet blowing up. Expect nothing less and maybe even worse to happen in this case."


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

 **'Of Saiyans and Hellmouths'**

x

x

AN: _This chapter will be the last to feature SG-1. Please remember, I only kept them in for exposition's sake, as to the grander scheme of things. For those liking the SG-1 angle, they will return in Part 2._

x

* * *

x

SGC Briefing Room. Earth 12-10-98

x

"So general, have you read our report," Colonel O'Neill asked entering the briefing room, followed by the rest of SG1.

"So much so that I asked the Tok'ra for intelligence," General Hammond replied and gestured towards the Tok'ra Selmak who also present, and also known as Samantha Carter's father Jacob.

"Dad," she said happy and hugged him, "it's good to see you again."

"Same here, Sam," Jacob/Selmak replied as he hugged her back.

Next O'Neill shook the man's hand. He didn't trust the Tok'ra but of all of them at least he trusted Jacob/Selmak to be on the level with him. Plus he didn't bring Anise along, which was always a good way to score points with him.

"So how's Tok'ra business, these days?" he said.

"Same old, same old, Jack," Jacob/Selmak smiled, "the Goa'uld keep us busy with plots within plots within plots. So we try to keep them busy doing the same. And then some more. So what's this business you have summoned me for? Don't tell me you have managed to piss off another Galactic power? The Goa'uld weren't enough trouble for you, so you decided to lock horns with Freeza as well?"

"You know about him?" Jack said taken aback. They knew! Of course, why should it surprise him? These Tok'ra gave new meaning to the words need to know only.

"If you knew, why didn't the Tok'ra tell us about him then?" he said accusingly, "More Tok'ra games?"

"On the one hand it wasn't a conscious decision of our part, Jack," Jacob/Selmak replied calmly, "if he had cropped up we would have told you. On the other hand we didn't want you guys going about making a lot of racket and looking under rocks you shouldn't be looking under."

"So it _was_ a conscious Tok'ra decision," Jack said as he let himself fall into a chair, "I knew it! You guys give new meaning to the word duplicity."

"We wouldn't have kept you in the dark if there was a need to know, Jack"

"And they call me paranoid," O'Neill said to his team mates.

Jacob/Selmak just raised his shoulder in a 'whatever' gesture and turned to General Hammond.

"General Hammond, tell me what you know about this Freeza and I'll fill in the blanks."

General Hammond then proceeded to tell Jacob/Selmak about what had happened in Turkmenistan and showed him pictures of the blast craters, the wreckage of the first alien ship, the two sphere ships and the dead aliens, followed by what Teal'c had told them.

"I can also give you the first results of the Area 51 team," Hammond said afterwards, "besides the DNA of all the various dead aliens we found remnants of another creature of which we only have a three toed foot. "

The Selmak symbiote inside Jacob did a mental shaking his head in disbelief as he thought about what he'd just heard. These Tau'ri had an absolute knack for getting themselves into trouble. Even by not doing anything trouble seemed to be able to find them. So the inner symbiont sighed and let Jacob tell the truth.

"The Tok'ra know this Freeza very well, general," Jacob/Selmak said leaning back, "we know he's a warlord who sells planets to the highest bidder and mercenaries to those who covet worlds themselves. We don't know his exact species, we do know he's from another galaxy. But it seems to be a family enterprise. There are records of him and his ancestors going back quite a while and doing quite a lot of work here. The reason why there are so many inhabitable words with transplanted humans and so few with alien species is because they cleaned out so many."

That bit of news made quite a splash as Jacob/Selmak continued.

"He and his family made themselves a nice little empire and the Goa'uld engage their services from time to time. Some 70 of your Earth years ago a grouping of Systemlords banded together and decided to get rid of the Tok'ra by sending this Freeza upon us. There were more of us back then. Freeza ruthlessly tracked us down. A Tok'ra operative infiltrated with a Goa'uld called Thoth managed to warn us so we immediately began moving base. Our advance guard had just left when Freeza send his forces upon us. A small fleet of these spherical ships you've found descended on our base at night. The occupants a small army of what appeared to be humans with tails. Our weapons were next to useless against them. They themselves carried no weapons. We stood no chance. The greatest disaster came when at the sight of the full moon these beings transformed into giant creatures, akin to Earth apes. Next came a massive slaughter. We stood no chance to these beasts, even their breath was deadly."

"Was it poisonous," asked Teal'c curious.

"No, it exploded on impact," Jacob/Selmak answered, "that day 70% of all Tok'ra were killed. Only we lucky few of the advance relocation party survived."

"Chilling," O'Neill said.

"You haven't heard the most chilling part," Jacob/Selmak continued, "ever since we kept an eye on Freeza's doings. It seems he had a fall out with his former business associates, those humanoids with tails. He personally destroyed their homeworld and race."

"What, he has a fleet big enough to destroy planets?" O'Neill asked surprised.

"No, apparently his species can survive in the vacuum of space. His ship went to their planet, he went outside and produced a energy ball that blew up their entire world."

"What! He's a one man planet killer?"

Jacob/Selmak nodded.

"You've got to be shitting me!" Jack said wide eyed, to which Jacob just slowly shook his head.

"I wish I were, Jack, I truly wish I were."

Jack sat back and mulled it over.

"So what does he seek here on Earth, dad?" Sam asked, "Did Apophis hire him to lay waste to us?"

"Our best intelligence doesn't know for sure," Jacob said unsure, "It could be but its not likely. We did learn that Apophis tried to engage the services of Freeza to destroy Earth, but he couldn't afford the asking price. That was after he suffered a number of defeats against you so he was a bit strapped for funds. We know that none of the Systemlords have hired Freeza in the last 5 years. He went off on business of his own lately, the Systemlords aren't his only clients. Last thing we heard was that he had gone near a planet called Namek more then a year ago and had disappeared ever since. His business seems to be taking a fall at the moment. Nobody seems to be in control, there are even rumors that he is dead."

"And what about this elite force?" Daniel asked, "The one Teal'c remembered the symbol of?"

"They were called the Ginyu force," Jacob/Selmak said in response to Daniel, "fearsome warriors like the tailed humanoids able to fire blasts without weapons, capable of leveling entire cities. They were summoned by Freeza to Namek and were also never heard of again."

"Maybe we should investigate this planet Namek," Sam said, "is it on the Stargate grid?"

"No, and it wouldn't do you any good anyway, Sam. It's gone."

"What do you mean gone, " Jack said, "gone as in somebody went nuclear and leveled the surface or gone as in somebody turned the planet into a galactic parking lot?

"Gone as in totally obliterated, Jack," Jacob said, "Like I said, we really try to keep tabs on this Freeza."

"Good riddance it would seem then," Jack shrugged

"Normally I agree, Jack, but why does a ship of the kind used by Freeza end up on Earth? And how does a piece of a three toed foot end up on Earth? Freeza had three toed feet by the way."

"We think that whoever was in control of that ship met his match when he landed here," Sam said, "his men were killed and he himself seems to have been vaporized."

"Again, good riddance," Jack said.

"Normally I would agree, Jack," Jacob/Selmak said and then looked Jack in the eyes, "but Freeza was the strongest being in this Galaxy and maybe beyond. A being that can obliterate planets and who was rumored to be able survive blasts that could blow up planets itself. Whoever took care of Freeza may be even a bigger problem and by the looks of it he's still here."

"The Russian radar contact," Daniel said as he sat up, "General Hammond told us an unidentified radar contact was seen heading away from that location."

"He also said it traveled at mach 3, Daniel," O'Neill said ,"no person can survive mach 3 without some form of transport and this guy left his ship behind."

"I said mach. 3.5 colonel," Hammond said, "I also said that our own air defense radar didn't pick up anything."

"Is your air-defense radar configured to detect people?" Jacob/Selmak asked the portly general.

"Flying people? As in Superman?" Jack said shaking his head.

"Yes, Jack, as in Superman," Jacob/Selmak said back.

"We have some ground radar that can detect people, dad," Sam said, "but our air-defense radar is configured to detect objects."

"That could explain it," Jacob/Selmak nodded, "you don't see what you are not looking for. This Freeza was rumored to possess the skill of unaided flight. He was rumored to be able to fly in the mach ranges."

"What?" Jack said having a hard time believing it.

"It does seem logical in a way," Daniel said, "if you can destroy planets and survive blasts that can destroy planets, the power of unaided flight doesn't seem so strange, does it?"

"I'm not buying it," Jack said and got up, "for crying out loud. Superman on Earth? What's next? Spiderman? Daredevil? The Fantastic Four?"

"Isn't that how they call your lucky band of four," smiled Jacob/Selmak.

"Don't you get smart with me, Tok'ra boy," Jack said as he got up and pointed at Jacob/Selmak.

"We would be lucky to have Superman or the Fantastic Four living on this planet," Daniel interjected, "At least they're heroes. Imagine a real Dr. Doom or Magneto on the lose here?"

"I hate my life," Jack said as he sat down again, then he hit the table with his forehead.

"I'd thought you would react that way, Jack," Jacob/Selmak smiled and gave Sam some discs, "so I brought you some footage. Seeing is believing, right?"

Sam inserted the discs into a computer, then next the big screen came to life and on it were scenes from a Goa'uld throne room. Then a gaudy Goa'uld sitting on a gaudy throne could be seen, flanked by his Jaffa guards.

"Who is that?" Daniel asked curious.

"That is Baäl," Jacob/Selmak said, "he's a very powerful System Lord, but so far he's kept out of the conflict with Earth. Be lucky for in addition to being powerful he's also quite smart. These images were taken more then six years ago."

"There is no sound," Jack asked.

"We were lucky to just get these images out," Jacob/Selmak replied, "our operative overheard the whole conversation anyway. Ah, there they are."

A group of people entered the room and Baäl got up from this throne to meet them.

"That's a first," O'Neill snorted, "usually they're more into the 'grovel before me, you measly worm' approach."

"They know better then to that with Freeza," Jacob said and pointed to a small creature sitting in a floating chair, "gentlemen, meet Freeza."

"That insignificant thing is Freeza?" Jack said surprised, "He looks like a shrimp. A very ugly purple white shrimp. With horns. But still."

"Size isn't everything, O'Neill," Teal'c said, "compared to the Goa'uld the Tau'ri are insignificant, yet they have defeated the System Lords often in battle."

"Yeah, but still, Teal'c, come on. Look at that! The supreme warlord of the universe? That?"

"Well, Baäl seems to believe it," Sam said, "look at him, he's fawning all over him."

"But still, Sam, at least the other guy, that big fat pink slug, now he at least looks the part. Him I believe as a major bad ass. Or even that gay effeminate looking fellow with the crystal on his forehead."

"I don't know sir, he looks…. kinda cute?" Sam said, earning strange looks O'Neill.

"Maybe if you are into the sunlight deprived green haired androgynous Goth look. I expected better from you, Carter," Jack said and pointed towards her, "you need to get out of your lab more."

"They are Freeza's personal lieutenants," Jacob said, "these are also the only moving images we have of Freeza. We were very lucky in obtaining them. We lost our operative soon after. Baäl sought Freeza's aid in securing a troublesome world. It fell under the Protected Worlds Treaty the System Lords have with the Asgard."

"They can do that?" General Hammond said, "I thought the treaty proved protection against the Goa'uld?"

"It provides protection against direct Goa'uld attack," Jacob/Selmak answered, "not from indirect Goa'uld intrigue. The Asgard couldn't renegotiate the treaty itself at the time. But in case you are wondering, since Earth is the first world in a long time to be added to the list, the Asgard have amended the treaty to include hired third party attack. Now, the next recording should prove more interesting."

This time they were shown the bridge from a Ha'tak attack cruiser hanging in space. On the screen was an image of a planet. Occasionally flashes, as if massive nuclear detonations took place, happened. Baäl watching the screen intently, occasionally leaning over to talk with some of his Jaffa commanders .

"As you can see the attack by Freeza's mercenaries is underway," Jacob /Selmak said, the symbiont talking now, "and Baäl is keeping station outside the star system."

"No doubt maintaining the illusion of plausible deniability," Jack said. Jacob/Selmak nodded in agreement.

After a while the number of detonations lessened. Then the view screen changed and an Asgard cruiser appeared. A 3D hologram of an Asgard appeared and Baäl started talking to him. Even without audio it was clear the Goa'uld was playing innocence personified. After a while the Asgard commander disappeared and after some more time the Asgard ship made a U-turn. After it was gone the view screen started showing the planet again.

"That was always a big problem for the Asgard," Jacob-Selmak commented, "while they were extremely intelligent when it came to science, they lacked social intelligence and a deep insight into the more base side of the Goa'uld."

"Then why didn't you provide them with these images, dad?" Sam asked her father.

"We had to protect our operative, Sam. But after he was killed we did send these recordings to the Asgard. That is why they amended the treaty. But without the audio there was still not enough evidence to squarely place blame with the Goa'uld. Besides, Freeza and Baäl were crafty enough. Like you said, Jack, Baäl claimed plausible deniability by saying he bought the planet from Freeza, not that he paid Freeza to do the job for him."

O'Neill sniggered smugly.

The screen continued as Baäl gave some orders and the Ha'tak started moving again, apparently towards the planet. The recording timeshifted forward to Baäl and his entourage standing in the ring room. Numbers of Jaffa started to transport down. Naturally no egomaniac would go down without a decent egoboosting honor guard. Finally, Baäl, what appeared to be his First Prime, and the person taping this recording stepped through the rings.

Now the view shifted to the planet's surface. On the surface was utter devastation, the scene of a warzone. The camera panned around and showed several Jaffa erected a throne and coverings for Baäl from the sun. As soon as they were ready Baäl sat down his Godlike ass on the throne.

"All hail the conquering hero," O'Neill said derisively, "he sits as if it was his own victory."

"Well, he did pay for it," Daniel said, "even if he himself had carried out the attack himself, it's not as if he would ever have lifted a finger himself anyway."

"Indeed not, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c agreed who knew from firsthand experience that the Goa'uld were quick to send their own Jaffa to die in battle but loath to risk their own precious hide.

The scene continued when Baäl and his entourage, including the camera operator started looking to one point in the sky. For a whole minute nothing happened. Then three dots appeared in the sky. Who slowly grew bigger into three manshaped objects.

"They do appear to be flying under their own power, O'Neill," Teal'c said.

The threesome landed in front of Baäl's entourage. One was a huge bald brute, grinning evilly underneath his evil mustache. The other one had the most ridiculous hair, not only standing up impossibly high, but the bulk of it also hanging down impossibly low, almost to his knees. The third one, and the smallest, also had a ridiculous hair do, all of it standing up straight. But not as freakish looking as the other guy. All three of them wore blue white body armor that covered their bodies, although not the limbs and they all had a small electronic devices on their left ear with a plastic eyepiece protruding in front of their left eye.

"Are those the leaders of Freeza's strike force?" Sam asked.

"That _was_ Freeza's strike force, " Jacob/Selmak said.

"You've got to be kidding," O'Neill said looking at Jacob/Selmak, then pointed at the screen, "there is no way that."

"Hush Jack and watch," Jacob-Selmak replied.

Baäl got up from his throne and met with the smallest alien. They talked for a while, then the small guy said something to the bald guy. Who smiled evilly then he made a gesture like giving somebody the finger, only in this case in plural as it also included his index finger.

Behind them a massive flash shone and the camera winked out for several seconds. By the time it came back on a Goa'uld defence screen had flared up to protect Baäl and his entourage from the blast wave that had by now reached them. The winds eventually died down and a large mushroom cloud rose to the heaven in the background. Baäl refrained just from clapping his hands in glee but he seemed _that_ pleased and started talking to the little guy again.

"We believe these aliens to be of the same race that nearly wiped out the Tok'ra 70 years ago," Selmak's said voice this time.

"I thought you said Freeza killed them all?" Jack countered.

"Our sources where quite adamant, Jack," Jacob/Selmak said, "but it would seem not all were killed. This nasty piece of work was identified as Vegeta. It would seem Baäl was so impressed with him he offered him full employment. Lucky for us Vegeta refused, but he was willing to do a job for him. It would seem he also wasn't impressed by the planet's defenses and he demanded and I quote 'to give him a proper job, worthy of his time'."

"I now see why the Goa'uld engage this Freeza." General Hammond said, frowning heavily, "such powers are formidable. The Goa'uld are arrogant, but clearly not so arrogant as to not see the wisdom in hiring superior firepower."

"Compared to Freeza these guys were peanuts," Jacob/Selmak said again, "our operative believed that if it weren't for Freeza's wrath this Vegeta would probably have been working for Baäl. From our analysis of other incidents involving the Ginyu Force our best estimates puts those guys far above these three."

"I still find it hard to believe it," Jack said, massaging his forehead, "flying people lobbing off nuclear level blasts as if they are nothing."

"So I was right when I said it was possible," Daniel said, "and you dismissed me out of hand, Jack."

"Fine, next time I'll believe you," Jack replied edgy, "how was I supposed to know? You are the linguistic and cultural expert. For science I have science girl here. Don't I always believe you if you say something linguistic and culturally?"

"I think we are missing the point here," Teal'c said, "it appears that this Freeza has landed here. But it would also appear that he was killed here. Those remains point to that. There was a big battle, he landed here and died here. The problem is no longer Freeza but the guy who killed him. If somebody takes out the most powerful being in the Galaxy doesn't that make him even more powerful? And he's still on this planet."

"Your absolutely right, Teal'c," Hammond said and looked at Jacobs, "do the Tok'ra have any knowledge of a new power, capable of defeating Freeza?"

Jacob/Selmak shook no.

"I'm sorry, general, our agents only infiltrate the Goa'uld, everything else we try to buy. All we know it was not the Goa'uld."

"Well, since we are still alive maybe whoever it was doesn't mean us any harm?" Daniel said getting some weird looks, "Whoever did it may actually be friendly."

"For crying out loud," Jack exploded, "Daniel, you don't know that! For all we know the world ends tomorrow. And even if he was friendly forgive me if I want to know the guy who can kill Freeza and lives on my planet!"

"Well, it's not as we're going to find him if we don't even know how he, she or it looks," Daniel said.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure we can find an it," Jack replied.

"The Russian radar data," Sam said suddenly, "maybe if we correlate the data we could find out where he went. That is assuming he traveled in a straight line."

"You mentioned that before," Jacob/Selmak said, "tell me more."

"After the battle in Turkmenistan Russian radar picked up something flying impossibly fast, dad," Sam said, "something the size of a man. We dismissed it at first but now."

"Let's find out," General Hammond said. Major Carter seated herself behind the room's computer and started to punch up data.

"How come our radar cannot see these guys but those more backwards Russian radar can?" O'Neill asked as he got up and looked over her shoulders

"Could be many things, sir," Sam said without taking her eyes of the screen, "maybe because its less advanced then ours so its scans differently. Maybe ours filters out too many variables that the Russian radar doesn't. There."

Major Carter and the rest looked at the big screen showing a map of the Northern hemisphere. It showed a line traveling straight from the site in Turkmenistan to the Pacific.

"Now if we extrapolate from that it should go here."

The line went all the way from Turkmenistan, China, Japan, the Pacific and crossed the United States Coastline in California somewhere near San Francisco."

"Oh shit," O'Neill said.

x

* * *

x

"A new accident," Kami said, watching out over the edge of the Tenka bowl over the unending clouds below, "It never rains when it pours."

x

* * *

x

"A new accident," Piccolo said on the other side of the world as he groaned inwardly. Sometimes it seemed like they were never getting a break.

x

* * *

x

"Bad news I agree," Belmovekk said as he looked upwards, "Although I fail to see what rain has got to do with it. I cannot imagine you get much precipitation up here."

"It's an expression," Kami said, then he turned around and looked Belmovekk in the eyes, "Could it be those androids that boy from the future warned us about? Will they be your 'cosmic accident'?"

"You have heard of it?" Belmovekk said a little surprised.

"I am God of this planet, you know. Little does escape me from here," Kami said and gestured over the edge of his Tenka bowl, "besides, Piccolo and I are linked. We were once one you know."

Belmovekk looked surprised, wanted to say something but decided not to. Kami could not help but smile. People were always a little confused when he told them that for the first time.

"OK," Belmovekk said as if deciding to not press the issue, "I have given it some thought and I do not think it will be the androids. No, not them."

"Any particular reason?" Kami asked.

"Because they did not destroy this planet in the future," the Saiyan replied.

"They killed nearly everyone!" Kami countered.

"But they did not destroy this planet," Belmovekk shrugged, "I am sorry, Kami-Sama, but you do not create a cosmic accident by killing a lot of people. If that were the case Kal Torak would have created a dozen such accidents by now. You have to blow up the actual planet."

Before Kami could respond a voice spoke in his head.

" _He may have a point you know,"_ Piccolo's voice spoke inside Kami's head.

"Piccolo!" Kami thought aghast, _"Are you listening in? How rude."_

" _Not any ruder when you were listening on when Trunks revealed to us what was going to happen to us in three years time,"_ came Piccolo's gruff reply, _"Or did you pretend to hear it for the first time when Goku came by afterwards?"_

For a moment Kami didn't know what to say.

" _I thought so,"_ was the last thing Piccolo's voice said smug.

Meanwhile Belmovekk had continued on, oblivious to Kami's internal dialogue.

"No, the more I think of it, the more I do not think it will be the androids. From what I gathered they got their kicks from terrorizing the Earth. But I rate a character like Freeza far higher on the galactic terror scale. His fun came from blowing up entire planets, not cities. His was a bigger scale of galactic terror."

"You might be right," Kami said as he mulled both Belmovekk's and Piccolo's words over, then he raised a green eyebrow looking at the Saiyan, "Did you know him?"

"Who? Freeza," Belmovekk said taken aback by the sudden change of subject, "Of course I did. Like all Saiyans I more or less used to work for him at some point."

"I was born twelve years before Vegeta was," Belmovekk continued, "By the time Freeza more or less took Vegeta as his personal hostage I had already entered King Vegeta's service in the Royal Household. There were times I had to accompany our king on his state visits to Freeza. Or as he used to call it, his state humiliations."

"While he was always eager to use our kind to do his dirty work Freeza always loved to humiliate our kings when summoned to his personal planet. King of the monkeys. The monkey king. That is what he always called King Vegeta. And always only the king. The rest of the royal retinue he never bothered to address. Which probably added to our king's humiliation."

"Was that why he sought allies against Freeza?" Kami wondered, "Because of his injured pride? Like Vegeta?"

"No," Belmovekk said shaking his head, "You are confusing the son for the father. King Vegeta, while always angry at his personal humiliation, was never interested in personal vengeance. He only had his people's best welfare in mind and understood that while the business alliance with Freeza was profitable for us, we should not trust him. Trust is a scarce commodity between bad guys. Our king sought to get us to become more independent of Freeza who he feared would turn on us soon. Unfortunately for us it was sooner then we thought."

"Which ultimately led you to your current career as disciple on some far away planet to the God Aldur," Kami remarked, "I wonder though, how did that happen. You did say that you used to be quite unrepentant. How did this Aldur change your perception?"

Belmovekk looked away and then cupped his chin.

"What is the greatest horror you can inflict on a person, Kami?" he finally asked.

"You are asking a God who watches out on a planet where its people have committed some of the greatest horrors in history against each other?" Kami replied gesturing out towards the planet, "In the last hundred years alone I have seen two wars engulf the entire planet, people being enslaved, people being starved to death, gassed to death, worked to death, hacked to death or just simply shot to death. For reasons which make no sense whatsoever! There were times I despaired so much I considered leaving. It's only because I know there is also good in this world that I am still around. So tell me, Belmovekk, what is the greatest horror you can inflict on a person?"

x

* * *

x

(From the memoirs of Belgarath the sorcerer)

He came in the days following the deaths of our comrade Belmakor, when even our master was feeling so low he took up wandering again. My girlfriend Poledra, which had kept me company for all this while, had left me to go away for a while. So in a way we all were in need of the diversion. I'm not sure how but I think our mutual 'friend' had a hand in his arrival. The bastard never confirmed nor denied it. Which is usually Necessity code speak for 'Yes I did it'.

I remember we were busy trying to emerge ourselves in our studies again, with little success I might add. I was reading some incredibly dusty scroll when suddenly my brother (brother in a spiritual sense that is) Beldin came into my tower in the guise of a blue banded falcon, his favorite form. He shimmered back into the hunchback sorcerer that he was.

"Belgarath," he said excited, "we have a visitor."

"So, what I'm I supposed to do about that?" I replied irritated, "It's not as if nobody ever comes here."

Beldin shook his head in disgust.

"How come you are our masters first disciple yet you cannot seem to pay attention to what's going on around here? Has your brain been completely dissolved in that strong ale that you're so fond of? Our visitor makes more noise then an dozen agitated Grolims walking on hot coals."

"So, ask him to be quiet if he disturbs you," I replied.

"Its not that sort of noise you bumbling incompetent! It's the other one, our talent, remember?"

That got my attention. I put down the scroll and examined the surrounding vale. After some searching I quickly learned that my brother was right. There was indeed somebody here with talent. A strangely unfamiliar one too.

"A Grolim?" I asked. Beldin sighed and buried his face in his hands.

"Honest to God, Belgarath, sometimes you're too dense. Torak's Grolims have no powers this side of the sea, remember? Besides, I've been feeling him for quite some time now. He seems to have been traveling through the west for almost a year now. And now he's here. Care to investigate?"

"Can't the twins help you out or Belzedar?" I said without much conviction. To be honest I was getting quite intrigued. Certainly more then in that dusty scroll. Still, it wouldn't do to let Beldin he could distract me from my work that easily.

"The twins are still in morning of Belmakor," Beldin replied dismissively, "I don't want to upset them right now. Belzedar is almost always in Mallorea doing his thing. That makes him next to useless to me right now. That leaves only you, brother."

As Beldin smiled a huge grin I sighed and put away the scroll. More for show though. Like I said before, you must not always give to much enthusiasm to Beldin's ideas right away or it gets to his head. It's always best to make him work for it, pretend to be stupid until you get it. That way he still feels superior for having made you seen the light, but at least he won't be so smug about it then if you had agreed with him right away.

We changed shape into birds and flew out to meet this stranger. He was easily found. He was sitting on top of a hill beside the river Aldur. A good spot I might add, I've been there myself from time to time. We perched on the branch of a tree and observed our visitor. He had the wildest and blackest hair I'd ever seen. He had some sort of small globe over his left ear, with a protruding glass piece in front of left eye. We could not discern which race he was. What surprised us the most was a brown furry band draped around his middle coming from his backside. He must be a race of his own I thought.

"He has a motherfucking tail, Belgarath," Beldin gasped. Beldin can be so colorful with words sometimes.

"Now I'm really curious," I said, "let's change back and talk with this guy."

Now I know for a fact that when we shapeshift we make no 'noise' as we like to call it. But this guy noticed us in an instant, got up, turned around and assumed what looked like a fighting position so fast I could not see it happen. He sort of looked us up as if we were a threat to him or not when he suddenly Beldin asked if he were Aldur. I found it quite amusing, even though Beldin cursed the poor guy to hell and back for even thinking such an idea. It didn't seem to phase the guy. Most people get quite 'unnerved' if Beldin goes the extra mile but it didn't seem to bother him in the least. It severely annoyed Beldin so I immediately liked the guy for it.

"Do you seek Aldur?" I asked once Beldin had finished his little tirade. He nodded.

"Then why do you seek him?" I asked.

He thought about it for a while before he answered.

"I have met this guy on a cart who said I could find him here. I seek his aid."

At that point a light should have gone on. The 'old guy on a rickety cart' routine again. We really live in a stale world when even the Gods can't come up with new ideas. But even the deeper implications of what he had said did not sink in at this time.

"What do you want from him?" Beldin asked.

"I seek a cure for my ailment," the strange man said, "I cannot remember who or what I am. One day I woke up in a place far from here with no knowledge of who and what I am. I clearly don't belong here," he said and to illustrate his point his tail started to wag.

I was just about to say something when it hit me. I can be so dense sometimes. I looked at Beldin and he must have realized it to. It would appear that we had another brother again.

"Yes!" we said in unison, our master had done it again.

x

* * *

x

We took the stranger to the twins. They always have something cooking and seem to have an innate desire to feed people. Besides I wasn't in a mood to cook. I always thought I was good in delegating authority and I always like to delegate the cooking to others. It was a sight to behold. Our new friend to be had an appetite that made Beldin look like an rank amateur. Where as Beldin can eat his food in the grossest of manners, preferably raw, this guy could eat immense quantities at breakneck speed. He could eat it as fast as the twins could serve it, if not faster. For once Beldin was utterly speechless as was the rest of us. After finishing his 16th plate our visitor finally leaned back satisfied.

"That hit the spot," said our visitor as he hit his stomach. To our amazement it wasn't even distended.

"It must be," Beltira said, one of the twins, "he emptied the whole kettle."

"I'll start another one," Belkira said and got to it.

"Tell them what you told us," Beldin said to the visitor.

While he told his tale I studied the device the visitor had on his face earlier, turning it around in my hands. It's craftsmanship seemed beyond anything I'd ever seen. Maybe only the Dals could rival something similar like it and I wasn't very convinced of that either. It looked…., out of this world? I put it on the way the visitor had carried it. As soon as I put the eye piece in front of my left eye symbols started to run. A different set of symbols appeared when I looked at different people. I surmised that it must tell something about the people I was observing. So that is how the visitor was able to detect us when we assumed our human form. Apparently it did not register us when we were in animal form though. A device like this might prove very useful when dealing with Torak's Grolims.

As the visitor told his tale naturally the twins were totally in tears. Their overt sentimentality comes from their Alorn origins. One of their few flaws I must admit but one has to deal with the cards one is given. Our visitor told us of how he had woken up in a crater, suffering from multiple wounds not remembering anything, how he had roamed on the plains to the north for weeks, evading contact with anybody, mostly the roving bands of Algar cattle herders. That is until he met a guy in a rickety cart who had taken him in and together they had traveled for a while until he was dropped off at the entrance to our little vale.

"This is good," Beltira said.

"That we get another brother," Belkira finished the sentence.

Our visitor looked baffled then at me.

"Do they do that often?" he asked frowning.

"Disgusting habit ain't it?" Beldin snorted disgustedly, "we've been trying to break them of the habit for years but they keep on doing it. Their minds are linked in some sicko, twisted, perverted way."

"No more disgusting then…"

"….you're eating habits, brother Beldin."

The twins gave Beldin what passed for a grin. Beldin snorted unimpressed.

"Just shut up, and give me something to eat!" he finally said

Belkira went back to the kettle and added more ingredients to it.

"You'll have to wait till its ready, Beldin," he said.

"Our new brother ate it all," Beltira finished.

"What is all this new brother stuff?" the visitor asked, "I just came here looking for a cure. I need to find this God Aldur."

"You already did," Beldin said, not one of the subtlest people I know, "that guy on that rickety cart? That's our master all right. That's how he recruited all of us too!"

"That was Aldur?" our visitor exclaimed, "all that time together and he did not cure me? What kind of sick God is he?"

"For your information, kiddo, Aldur is about the kindest and gentlest of God you could find in this sick world," Beldin said as he pointed angrily, "so if he did not help you it must have been for a good reason."

"I wonder what it is?" I said as I examined our visitor, "what could be in that brain of yours that is too dangerous to know?"

"Or maybe even Aldur does not know what to do," Beltira said also examining him.

"Since he does not appear to be of this world," finished the other twin without looking up from the kettle.

Naturally this all served to confuse our guest.

"What do they mean?"

"It means since you do not seem to be of any of the races that inhabit this world," Beldin said, "in that respect you are a bit like me. I'm so deformed nobody knows which race I'm off, not even I. But still even I know I was born here."

Beldin got up and moved to our guest and started pointing things out.

"Your tail could be a deformity, like mine, but your racial features are not. Black hair is not uncommon, but eyes with black irises are. Our master once told us that life existed on other worlds. I can only conclude that you must come from one of them. Your equipment is proof of that. It doesn't look like anything made on this world. It doesn't function like anything made on this world. Your facial device is just totally beyond the capabilities of any artisan here."

"The ball," our visitor said as if he realized something.

"What?" I asked.

"When I woke I was lying in that crater and in the center was a globe with a door that was open. Inside was a seat. It must be a vehicle to travel between worlds."

"Hmm, interesting," Beldin said as he cupped one arm and used it to support his chin, "and where was this globe?"

"In the middle of a giant grass plain." our visitor replied nodding in a general direction, "somewhere to the west of, what was it, the mountains of UL I was told."

"That's to the north of us," Beldin said, "I think I will go and check it out. Since these two clowns still haven't got anything ready to eat I'll nab myself a bird along the way. Take care of him, Belgarath."

And with that he changed into a blue banded falcon and flew out of the window.

"I've seen him do it before, but how does he do that," asked our visitor. So I set out to tell him about the secret of the Will and the Word.

x

* * *

x

Later that evening I took the visitor to my tower. Since my tower is reasonably far away he got to see our little community as we walked past the towers of the others

"Whose towers are those?" he asked.

"That's Belzedar," I replied without looking, "he's one of our masters other disciples, but he's not here so you're in luck. He's been away from some time now."

"Why am I in luck?" he asked.

"He's a bit pompous," I shrugged.

"And those ruins?"

I sighed at the memory.

"Those two ruins over there used to belong to our brethren Belmakor and Belsambar."

"What happened to do them?"

"They killed themselves," I said after sighing again, "they could not bear continue living."

Our visitor halted for a moment as he took in the ruins. I waited for him to move on.

"I am sorry to hear that," he said eventually and moved on.

"Thanks," I said, "it was pretty painful for all of us. Especially the twins. That's why they were so glad to hear that they might get a new brother. They care deeply for others."

"Well, they should not make definite plans yet," he said, looking one more time over his shoulders, "I have no intentions of staying."

"This is not a bad place to live, you could do conceivably worse."

"Maybe, but stone towers don't seem like my style. And I have this feeling that I have something to do. I don't know what it is but it is driving me crazy. That is why I want to remember. Whose tower is that?"

"That's the one of Aldur," I replied, "but as you can see nobody is home."

"It looks a bit dilapidated," he agreed.

"He's a God," I said, "if he wanted to he'll have it fixed in no time."

I decided to walk our visitor past the Tree. The Tree stands at the center of the Vale. As far as we know it's unique, there are no others like it. It does not reproduce, or die, it just is. Every one of us who came here has been touched by it in a profound way. But our visitor did not deem it worthy to look at it. In a way it concerned me at the time. I did not take into account that not everything happens instantly. Sometimes the quarter has to spin a bit before it becomes clear whether it is heads or tails.

Finally we arrived at my tower. Beldin always likes to call it that ugly thing but its home to me. I willed the stone that was my door to the side and it did, much to the curiosity of our visitor.

"The Will and Word again?" he asked.

I nodded and went inside. As went inside up the stairs I closed the door stone again.

"Watch that step, it's loose," I said and pointed to the offending step.

"Shouldn't you fix it then? "

"Perhaps, but I'm used to it now. It would feel strange if it wasn't there."

"You're a weird fellow, Belgarath," our visitor said shaking his head.

"So they say," I smiled.

I let him sleep in Beldin's old bed. He had moved out long ago, but I never throw things out so it was still there. He slept like a rock, just like Beldin did (meaning he snored like him too). I could not sleep and decided to do some studying. It was when I was trying to decipher that dusty scroll again that I received a summoning from my master. I changed into an owl (it was night after all) and flew to his tower. He was waiting there for me.

"Belgarath, well met," he said as he greeted me. I made a slight bow and sat in one of his chairs.

"I guess this is about our new friend, Master?"

"Thou hast a keen eye for details, my pupil," Aldur replied and started to pace. I've never seen him pace before. That got my attention.

"It is indeed about him. I have been observing him for a time and I think I can restore his former self. But I dost not think it is prudent to do so."

"Why is that, Master?" I asked, "Doesn't he have to right to be who he is?"

"Indeed, Belgarath," Aldur said without stopping to pace, "but during our travels together I have sensed a great evil within our new friend. I fear that if I were to awake his memory now that he would go over to my brother, Torak."

That also got my intention. An evil? Our newest brother? What kind of monster had he been? He seemed quite likable. Then again, Aldur had spent more time with him then we did. Yet it didn't seem fair to him.

"But we cannot keep him like this forever, Master. He has a right to know."

"And so it shall be, my pupil, but in time. For if we are to proceed with caution we could stem this evil within him and turn him in a great ally. There is enormous power within him to potentially rival even the Orb itself. I have been learning where he came from and I've learned that his people are capable of great deeds, right or wrong. We shall restore him in stages. I will have to study more about him and his people, so this is what we will do. I wantst thou to educate him like thy did thy brethren. I shall restore some of his skills and lore withinst half a year. After a full year shall we fully restore him. This promise we will tell him and this promise we must keep. Meanwhile we must remake him so that when the time comes he willst make the right choice."

"But Master," I protested, "a year is hardly enough time to teach him the ways of the Will and the Word!"

"Thou shalt be pleasantly surprised, my pupil, for his kind is called Saiyan and these Saiyans have special talents. Oh, and thou should heed this warning. Beware of the full moon when I am not around. Let him not see it for a monster within him shall be awakened."

Great! As if my life wasn't complicated enough.

"And how shall we address him, master, I cannot keep calling him visitor or guest for a year."

"His name is Movekk, Belgarath. Thou can and must tell him this."

x

* * *

x

"Movekk? That's my name?"

Movekk looked so disappointed when I told him what Aldur had told me. I've never had the heart to ask but part of me thinks he was more disappointed learning his true name then having to wait a full year. Which I can sort of understand. It's a weird name.

"That is what my master told me," I said, "he is gone to learn more about you so he can help you better."

Movekk sat down to take in the news and think it over. I sat on my study desk and gave him the time to deal with the news.

"A full year is a long time to wait for a cure, Belgarath," he finally said.

"Hey, it's better then nothing, Movekk," I said, "and nobody said it would be an instant cure. For all I know the cure might be very complicated."

x

So I was lying. I do that sometimes to help people. The truth can sometimes hurt terribly. Is it so bad to spare somebody's feelings?

x

"I thought Gods could do anything they set their minds to," Movekk retorted raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"That's just propaganda so the priests can keep their followers in check," I coughed uncomfortably, "Gods are bound by more rules then you could possibly image. Except for one God of course. But Torak is mad as a hat so he doesn't qualify. Now finish your breakfast and I will start teaching you the Will and Word."

x

* * *

x

The present.

x

"How about thinking you are a good person and then one day waking up and learning that you are not?" Belmovekk said, "And I do not mean as in, oh, whatever you did as a Saiyan, we happen to think it was wrong and which makes you a bad person. No, if only were it that easy. Even if you were to accept such a change of truth you would still have time to adapt to that. No, I am talking about waking up one day, amidst the ruins of a crashed ship that you do not recognize on a planet that you do not know and not knowing who you are."

"Amnesia," Kami said.

"Yes," Belmovekk nodded, "For a while I wandered the wild until I was found by Aldur, who knew perfectly well who I was and still took me in as one of his own. I became a good person, Kami. I really did. And then one day I got my memory back. And the good person that I was remembered the evil person that I had been."

For a moment neither said anything.

"I can imagine that that must have felt quite, horrible?" Kami finally asked.

"I almost killed myself when I learned the truth," Belmovekk said softly, "My brethren were on constant suicide watch for months. I could not live with what I had done."

"Goku also suffered from amnesia when he came to Earth," Kami said, "Odd, a strange coincidence indeed.

"Did he ever manage to remember again?" Belmovekk asked.

"No, he never did," Kami replied shaking his head, "but he was a mere infant when he came here. His memories were minimal to start with. Later when he finally made it here I could probe them easily but he was never much interested to know them. He always figured that who he was now was the only thing that mattered."

"I guess he is lucky then, not only does he not remember, he does not even have to remember anything," Belmovekk sighed, "the day I started to remember was the worst day in my life."

"One day I was one of the good guys, the next I was a former mass murderer. Luckily I had friends who cared for me. I came so close to killing myself. As long as one has friends one is never really poor I guess. I would rather lay down my life then disappoint them. They helped me overcome the horrors and find back something of the good man I had become. But you can never really come back from such a revelation. Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss. And to think I asked them to help me remember. Talk about irony."

" _Irony's a bitch?"_ Piccolo's voice again rudely intruded onto Kami's thoughts. Not sure what to say Kami decided to change the subject.

"You spoke of a new cosmic accident. What exactly was the first accident?"

"The Necessity once said it was a galaxy somewhere that blew up at a time and a place when it should not. It started with a star that blew up, that one ignited another, and so a chain reaction was set in motion. But that was when the universe was still comparably young. It was then comparably easy to derail the universe I was told. It should take a little more effort to derail things now that they are in full motion. Something really nasty must be afoot to get the attention of both Necessities and both Necessities did agree it was supposed to be happening here."

"Amazing that something as powerful as these Necessities are vulnerable to something as blind chance," Kami replied in disbelief.

"It was blind chance that created them in the first place, Kami," Belmovekk shrugged, "blind chance could create a third one if it came to it. We may not like what it has to offer."

Kami looked worried and walked to the edge of his floating dish, the Tenka bowl. He peered down intently. Belmovekk followed him to where the God of the earth stood.

"For the last year I felt something dark down there," Kami said without looking back, "When I heard about the Androids I thought it was them, or at the very least the sick mind behind them, Dr. Gero. But now, after hearing your story I'm not so sure."

"You believe me then?"

"Oh I do," Kami nodded, "I can sense that you are telling the truth. That at least you believe it to be true. You are also different from both Goku and Vegeta. Goku is pure goodness, Vegeta is still mostly evil. Although not as bad as during his first time here. I guess dying by Freeza's hands, his resurrection and knowing that Goku has surpassed him is changing him. But you, you are grey. You know the difference between right and wrong. You wish to do right. But I also sense that you also are perfectly willing to do what is necessary. Even if you have to break every rule in the book or be utterly ruthless to do so. You are an interesting mix, mister Belmovekk, of both your Saiyan fellows."

"I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult, Kami," Belmovekk said as he scratched behind his ears.

"Merely an observation, mister Belmovekk," Kami smiled, "Merely an observation."

"Leave it to me to find a politician for a God," Belmovekk snorted as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I learn from the best, mister Belmovekk, most people may not have near Saiyan levels of strength but as the Guardian of Earth you cannot help to learn politics. Would you mind staying for dinner?"

"Ah, the old 'won't you stay for dinner so I can feel you out a bit more trick?'" Belmovekk smiled, "I have always been fond of pouring my sources of information full of strong liquor. Nothing beats getting them drunk if you're pumping them for information. Then again, never say no to a free meal. Airplanes are decent for travel but the kind of food they dare to serve is a disgrace. And that snake along the way was not much filling either."

"You sure are a Saiyan, mister Belmovekk," Kami replied, "never losing sight of their stomach, "I'll ask mister Popo to whip you up something tasty and lots of it. He's a fine cook and we have had Saiyans for dinner before."

"As long as I'm not the main course," the Saiyan joked. Then his face turned serious again.

"Kami, why do demons live on this world?"

x

* * *

x

"Go to that place for answers," had been Kami's answer as he had pointed to a place on the West Coast of the United States. He had recognized it immediately as one of the demonic hotspots that the vampire had told him about, the biggest of them all.

So after having enjoyed a fine meal with the Earth God and staying for a few days to chat he had decided to go there. Especially since the Earth God refused, politely of course, to answer any further questions about Earth's demonic presence. There was plenty of time to visit the other hotspots, so as this one was relatively close by he chose to give it a visit.

He had returned to the airport, having perfected his skills in the art of hitchhiking and took a flight to a place called Sunnydale. It being the town at the center of it all. The flight was uneventful and the onboard food as atrocious as he had come to expect, also ridiculously small in portions. But when the aircraft neared Sunnydale he could feel something. It was like being enveloped in somebody else's chi, and not a nice one as well.

No, this felt like being wrapped into a wet molding blanket that had been left to rot for a century or two, with all the cozy smell of a dish made up from rotting fish with a strong side dish of potent old cheese. Also left to rot of course. It felt about as welcome as it sounded, meaning not at all.

Then, to his amazement his fellow passenger next to him suddenly grabbed for the airsickness bag.

"I always get his when I return home," the passenger said to excuse himself, then he began to heave. Belmovekk could see that he wasn't the only one. At least three others reacted the same way, including one pregnant woman who reacted more then the other three.

Once the plane touched down the feeling intensified, but it strangely also grew bearable. Like how upon first entering a latrine that had been used by a small army raped one's nostrils, but after a while it became bearable because the brain started to ignore the nostril rape. By the time Belmovekk exited the plane and made it through the terminal he had grown accustomed enough to have his stomach under control. Apparently it paid off to have been on campaign with various armies for centuries and having grown accustomed to their latrines.

"Taxi, sir?" a person beside a yellow car said. Ah, the local transportation racket. He had learned about them in a collection of books he had picked up in Denver Airport called the Lonely Planet travel guide to the US. Bloody useful books! And how these taxi drivers always charged ridiculous prices whenever possible. He didn't really need a ride into town .But taxi drivers, besides being overcharging scoundrels, were also said to be a veritable treasure trove of useful information to the right traveler. So he agreed to take up the offer.

"Where to, sir?" the cabbie asked as Belmovekk and he entered his cab.

"A good restaurant would be fine," Belmovekk said as he sat down, "I do not know what they are serving in airplanes, and frankly I do not wish to know."

"I know the sentiment, sir," the cabbie said and started the car engine to leave the airport terminal, "and my cousin works at the airports catering. Any preference in restaurants?"

"As long as it is good and offers lots of it," Belmovekk said as he relaxed, "I'm not really into haute cuisine. I have recently come from Paris and although the food there tasted good, the portions are ludicrously small."

"I know just the place then, sir," the cabbie smiled over his shoulder, "Roy's All you can eat dinner."

"That will be fine," Belmovekk said as they passed the town's first cemetery.

The cabbie noticed his passenger taking an interest in the cemetery.

"First time to Sunnydale, sir?" he asked with a hint of curiosity

"Yeah, you could say that," Belmovekk replied as they passed another one.

"Business or pleasure, sir?" the cabbie asked with just a hint of sudden nervousness

"Mostly business," Belmovekk replied, causing the cabbie to relax, "but just in case, is there anything interesting to see?"

"The 'thank you for leaving Sunnydale' sign, sir," the cabbie replied deadly serious, causing the Saiyan to frown.

"You don't like this place then?" Belmovekk asked.

"Oh, it can be quite nice, sir, as long as the sun shines," the cabbie replied.

"And what if the sun does not shine?" Belmovekk asked.

"See this steel wire mesh separating me from you, sir?" the cabbie pointed over his shoulder, "That's for work. At home I'll lock myself indoor using the best doors and locks money can buy."

"And why would that be?"

"Unless sir carried a big long suitcase that said hunting rifle, or a big ass sword I don't think sir would believe me."

"Oh, you would be surprised by the things I can believe," Belmovekk said as he inched forward, "Why are there so many cemeteries in this place?"

"Part of the reason sir would find it extremely difficult to find a taxi after nightfall, sir," the cabbie said without blinking an eye, "All sort of things go bump in the night in this place."

"What sort of things?" Belmovekk asked having a pretty good idea of what to expect.

"Sir's ever seen a horror movie?" the cabbie asked.

"Movies?" Belmovekk asked puzzled, then he remembered the in flight movie, "Oh, those! Not really, they tend to put me to sleep."

"Well, sir, this is not the town to fall asleep in at night unless protected by good locks. Oh, and neither is this the place to invite strange people in. Like in EVER! Here we are, sir. Roy's All you can eat. There is a good hotel around the corner as well. That will be $12.99."

"Thanks for the ride, good fellow," Belmovekk said and gave the cabbie a $20 bill through a small hole in the wire mesh, "and thanks for the advice."

"It makes good business sense to keep one's customers around, sir," the cabbie smiled as he put the money away, "Have a nice stay."

Belmovekk shouldered his small travel bag and waved goodbye to the cab driver who drove off. He was now in the heart of Sunnydale and although the bad feeling was now even stronger, like a bad smell prolonged exposure made it more difficult to measure it as you got used to it.

By now he was so hungry he went inside Roy's All You Can Eat and gave in to his food cravings. It was late in the afternoon, almost evening so there were already several other customers. Seeing the buffet laid out Belmovekk knew the cabbie had brought him to the right place.

Oh yeah, he was going to give Roy a good run for his money. All ye who cook and see a Saiyan enter, despair!

x

* * *

x

Feeling very satisfied Belmovekk finally left Roy's All You Can Eat, much to the relief of the proprietor. Every time the Saiyan had returned to the buffet one more time one could hear the staff groaning in despair. And some of the other customers groan in envy. The buffet assault had lasted for more then an hour and it had grown dark outside.

Having finally satisfied his stomach Belmovekk could now finally start examining this place. It was getting less busy outside as more and more people started to get off the streets.

Belmovekk sought a secluded back alley and took out his scouter and quickly changed dress from a smart European business man to a more casual outfit, then flew off into the air. At 200 meters above Sunnydale he started scanning. The place was literally crawling with demons. There could even be more of them but somehow the weird energy of this place was interfering with his scouter. He could only get surface scans, nothing from underground, which his Paris vampire had told him was a major resting place for demons during the day. Most were in the 50+ range, a few near 100. The scouter classified them all as demonic, all except for a single one, the highest of them all. That aroused Belmovekk's interest. So he went off in that direction.

Floating above an unobtrusive house in what they called the suburbs he halted. Whoever was this big lived in here. It almost seemed ordinary and a bit disappointing.

One always expected more somehow.

He was about to have a closer look when suddenly an upstairs window opened and somebody came out climbing, then jumped off the roof. To his surprise she was a small Earther woman, a teenager still, with what looked like long blond hair tied in a knot behind her back. It surprised him even more when his scouter indicated that she was this place largest power.

"By the Gods." he said surprised and then followed the girl from above as she went off into the night.

x

* * *

x

AN 2017: _Lots of changes in this chapter. I basically rewrote most of the Belmovekk/Kami dialogues and moved the Belgarath memoirs outtake from chapter five here, as it made more sense to put it here._


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

 **'The arrival 2'**

x

x

 _OK, this was actually the first chapter I wrote specifically for this Buffy crossover. Any mentionings of her, vamps and Hellmouths before is retroactive. In hindsight I'm not that happy with it but short of deleting it all together and starting anew it is as it is. I'd rather write new chapters then rewrite old ones._

 _Edit 2017: Rewrite city at last, baby!_

x

x

As she climbed down the drainage pipe outside her home Buffy couldn't help but once again be reminded how much it sucked to be the Slayer. For starters, it cut heavily into your social life, its responsibilities always calling you at the most inconvenient moments. And it could (and inevitably always would) get you killed. Not to mention covering your favorite shirt in demonic goo that not even industrial strength detergent was able to get rid off. Try explaining that to Mom!

The upside of course was that it gave you a 007 like license to kick ass and take out all your frustrations on the minions of evil.

But of course you still had to find those minions of evil first in order to do it. And naturally when you were looking forward to actually kick some demon ass to work off a healthy sexual frustration, or just any kind of frustration, none was to be found. Like the whole town was suddenly deserted and tumbleweeds were blowing through the cemeteries. At such times it was like the local vamps and demons had Buffydar or something and simply vamoosed. And at other times when you just wished to get home soon to get a few hours of sleep, suddenly Sunnydale was like spook central. With everybody looking for a big fight. But when you actually wanted to kick some ass, nothing!

Had she and Giles actually known it she would have been highly surprised to learn on how well Sunnydale's underworld had gotten into reading her behavior. A particular enterprising demon had even succeeded in finding out when she had her periods so that the demons knew when to avoid that particularly nasty 'time of the month.' Angel knew of this of course, being a demon himself, but he just didn't have the heart to tell her.

So, after a long night of very uneventful patrolling, Buffy was glad to finally have a vamp rise from the grave. Figures that it had to be at the last and most distant cemetery in all of Sunnydale.

"Ah, how nice, a nice snack at the ready," the fledgling said as he saw her waiting, causing Buffy to inwardly sigh. They all said something like it. They all thought it to be terribly funny and original, like they were Bruce Schnitzengruber throwing around his famous one liners. Fledglings weren't known for their originality nor style. That usually came much later. As survival of the fittest weeded out the dumber ones. Or in this case, survival through one pissed of Slayer.

"In your dreams, vamp boy," Buffy said defiantly and took up a fighting stance, "I may look all soft and chewy on the outside, but on the inside I'm all kickass. Let's go, I haven't got all night! If we make this quick I can still get my beauty sleep."

"You'll pay for your insolence, little girl," the fledge hissed back, "nobody insults Rick the Vampire!"

"Rick the Vampire?" Buffy snorted incredulously, "Seriously? You've barely risen. No vampire even a day old would take you serious."

And with that she gave him a roundhouse kick that made him fly away several rows of gravestones only to come to a very painful stop against one. A normal person would have been either knocked out or would have stayed down in pain, but to a vampire it was nothing, Even a barely risen fledgling. He immediately got up and ran straight for Buffy.

"Now you've done it, little girl!" he yelled angrily, "I'm _so_ going to kick your sorry ass before draining you!"

"Only if you catch me first, " Buffy replied grinning. Like all fledglings Rick the Vampire was all brawn, no brain and tried to plant his fist into her face. It was so predictably textbook she could have evaded it with her eyes closed. As she did Rick the Vampire's fist sailed past her, and him with it. Of course her follow up strike to the back of his neck, which she also could have delivered eyes closed, did impact with its intended target.

WHACK!

As he landed face first into another gravestone Buffy sighed deeply. This was the best she could look forward too this night? Loser Rick? Apparently there wasn't going to be a nice entertaining fight to look forward to. Only a curbstomp.

Still, even a pathetic no good fledgling getting curbstomped might still do nicely to relieve some much pent up stress issues. She was so spoiling for a good fight ever since Spike and his gang had crashed her parent/teacher meeting. So she proceeded to utterly lay down the smack down on poor Rick the Vampire, only just refraining from killing his sorry ass to give him just enough of a breather so she could start all over again.

SMACK!

"This is for Snyder breathing down my back 24-7!"

THUD!

"This is for him dragging my mom to school to bitch about me!"

WHACK!

"This is for that bleached corpse and his ghouls crashing my school!"

THUD!

"And this is for that loser, the Master, for nearly killing me!"

"He did? Auw!"

After a few minutes Rick the Vampire had quit talking trash about draining Buffy dry. After a few more he no longer talked about kicking her shapely ass. Bloody retribution also ceased quickly thereafter. Then it just became a plea for mercy.

"Please….., girl….., mercy….," he begged as his body hurt all over.

"Why, what happened to all your threats, Rick?" Buffy smiled, ready to deliver the killing blow, but still weary for a sudden move.

"I hurt in places I never knew I had," Rick replied, spitting out some blood and a tooth, "I think I'd rather be dead again."

"That can be arranged," Buffy said and pulled out her stake, "I have to say, they don't turn them like they used to."

The vamp dropped on his knees, utterly beaten.

"Tell me at least your name, girl, no ordinary girl could have beaten a vampire like me like that."

"You would have learned it anyway if you'd had gotten away," Buffy said halting her stake, "I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer."

The vamp looked perplexed.

"What's a vampire Slayer?"

"God, don't they teach you anything in vamp school, Rick?" Buffy shook her head in disbelief.

"Hello? Didn't get out much previously, now newly risen?" Rick protested while pointing two thumbs at himself.

Buffy assumed a pose like delivering a speech.

"Into each generation a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world, the chosen one, one born with the strength and skill to blah blah blah, yadayadayada. Long story short, she's the Slayer!"

"Just my rotten luck," Rick said sadly, "I was so glad I no longer was a loser and now this. The universe has far too much fun at my expense."

"A philosophizing vampire, that's a first," Buffy said, for the first time this evening feeling impressed, "Well, Rick, see it as your big chance to get away from it all."

"That's Kirk's li….," Rick said, then he was cut short as Buffy drove her stake through Rick's heart. Then the vamp exploded in a ghastly cry and a whirlwind of dust.

"And another one bites the dust," Buffy said cheerfully as she put away her stake, "time to go."

Suddenly she froze. Something was wrong. Her spidersenses were tingling. A nagging feeling which she had experienced on and off ever since she had started her patrol. Something, or someone, was near. Something most definitely non-human.

"You might as well show yourself," Buffy called out as she slowly reached for her stake again, "I know you're there. Might as well get this over with so I can get some sleep."

At first there was no response. Then suddenly a voice spoke behind her in response

"Now there is something you don't see every day."

Buffy turned around in an instant. Sitting on top of one of the graves, were only seconds before had been no one, was what appeared to be a Hell's Angel. He sat with his legs tucked under him and his head resting on one arm. He wore a jeans, army surplus boots and a body warmer with a black t-shirt underneath. His arms appeared to be covered in tattoos. Hideous tattoos giving Buffy a creepy feeling. As in either 'I sell lots of illegal drugs to kids and crush my biker enemies and build a throne out of their skulls' or 'I fully worship our lord and unsavior Satan. Now bring me your kids for the sacrifice'.

She was about to make a snippy remark about them when she noticed his hair. Which was odd as it was ink black and stood out in several directions defying the laws of gravity. How could she have missed that first in favor of the tats?

"I so don't want to see your hair gel bill," she said shaking her head. Causing the man to give her a perplexed look.

'Hair gel, you know?" she said, getting further weird looks, "As in creating that weird hairdo like a bomb has exploded in your hair?"

"What is wrong with my hair?" he said puzzled and put his hand into it, feeling it up, "I happen to know it was rather stylish."

"Maybe in the 80's but not so in the 90's, mister," Buffy snorted back, "The days of big hair are over."

The man felt his hair up some more, then he shrugged.

"We are all born with the hair we that we get," he said, "I happen to like mine, young lady."

Buffy wanted to make another snappy hair remark when she noticed the man pull out and put on a strange device on his left ear with what appeared to be a colored glass extension in front of his left eye.

"So how's the radio reception on that?" she asked, "Does it get the heavy metal station? Haven't seen one of those in Radio Shack."

"What, you mean this?" the man said and pointed to his device, "It has its uses. But why are we talking about my hair and my accessories? I was hoping to get a talk about why that thing turned to dust and what exactly a vampire Slayer is."

"Bummer," Buffy said, she was hoping he hadn't heard that part. Next time, no more introductions to vampires about to meet the sharp end. Just giving them the sharp end. By the looks of it he had overheard that particular remark. It was probably a safe bet that he had overheard and seen everything. Maybe even longer, as there was something about that guy that was bugging her Slayer senses. And they had been trying to warn her something was wrong all night.

"What are you?" she asked, "I don't think you're human. I'm sensing something distinctly wiggy about you."

"Wiggy?" the man asked raising an eyebrow.

"Weird, strange, not normal," Buffy explained, "You know, the wig."

The man mulled her words over for a brief moment. Oh yeah, he was non-human alright. And not just in the weird vibe that he gave off. He seemed oblivious to the finer points of the English language that even Giles still managed to pickup.

"Odd choice of words," he finally said, "Still, very perceptive, young lady. Maybe I am like that gentleman you just killed?"

Buffy looked at the pile of dust that used to be Rick, then she shook her head.

"No you're not. Vampires I recognize," she said shaking her head, "You, you feel altogether more…., different? Are you a demon?"

"Young lady!" the man huffed insulted, I am many things, but I am not a demon. In fact I kick demon ass for a warming up."

"Then what are you?" she asked.

"Curious," the man said as he fondled his short beard.

Buffy looked perplexed. Of all the answers she expected this was the one she least expected to hear.

"You see, I am not from around this place," the man said as he stood up and jumped off the grave, "I did not even plan to come here originally. It just so happened to be the closest Hellmouth, so I thought why not save me the extra miles and come here? And then, to my great surprise, I found you. A blip."

"A blip?" Buffy said, "I've been called many things by many things but I've never been called that."

The man tapped the device on his left ear.

"This thing from what you call, what was it? Radio shake? It is an advanced scouter that can senses life energies, young lady," the man said as he sized her up, "when I arrived here I was greeted by the welcoming committee. I thought them to be the biggest and the baddest on this little rock. Imagine my surprise when I learned there was a whole class below that. And then I was in this neighborhood and my scouter went off again. My late mother, may she rest in Priya's warm embrace, always said I was too curious for my own good so I went and had a look. It led me straight to you."

"Lucky me," Buffy replied as she took an involuntary step backwards. It would appear that the Hellmouth was drawing in the freak shows again. She should really learn to stop wishing for something to happen. While usually mostly nothing happens, sometimes you got more they hoped for. Like this current whacko.

"I have been following you for the entire evening, and yes, I know how that makes me sound. I was about to introduce myself when I saw one of those things come up from the ground and you starting to beat the living snot out of that soulless thing. Is that how they are born?"

"Yeah, when they kill their victims they sometimes let them drink of their own blood,' Buffy explained. " When that happens their victims rise from the grave and become like them."

"Disgusting things," the man snorted in disgust, "I've not been here for long but even I can't miss that this place is infested by them."

"No complaints from me. But you still haven't told me who and what you are, Tommy Lee!"

The man suddenly looked excited.

"Oh, I feel a challenge coming up," he grinned, "tell, you what, Miss Buffy the Vampire Slayer, do me the honor of fighting with me and I shall tell you about me."

"But it's not nice to invite a girl for something and not give her your name," Buffy gave back an innocent smile.

"True, young lady," the man said, "and I offer my most sincere apologies. But I am not from these places and do not know that many people yet. While you may have blurted out your name to your former opponent unbeknowest of my presence I much prefer to get know you a little better. Rest assured, young lady, I shall not bite."

"Unbeknowest?" Buffy asked not believing what she heard, "what are you, a reject from the 19th century?"

The man just smiled and gestured towards the part of the cemetery that hadn't been filled with graves yet. Sighing Buffy followed the man to the clearing.

"Fine," she muttered, "if you don't want to answer I guess I shall have to beat the answers out of you."

The man just smirked and assumed an unfamiliar battle stance. Buffy felt herself getting annoyed and wanted to wipe that annoying smirk of the guy's face.

`You are so going to get it, Tommy Lee," she said assuming a battle stance of her own.

And with that she launched herself at him delivering a kick to the man's head that would have torn the head of Rick the sadly deceased Vampire. The man was knocked to the ground but his head however was still very much attached to his body.

"Good," he said approvingly as he got up, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth, "very good. Better then against that vampire."

"You are definitely not human," Buffy said and delivered a roundhouse kick that knocked the man back a few meters against a tombstone, which broke as soon as he came to a sudden stop against it. Amidst the rubble he shook his head a few times and got up again. Time enough for Buffy to close in and deliver a series of punches that would make most vampires beg to be staked. But while the guy was impacted by them it didn't really bring him down. Every time she knocked him down he managed to get up. He even seemed to like it.

Something was wrong.

"You're either a glutton for punishment or you're holding back," Buffy said as both paused the fight for a quick breather.

"Maybe I am a gentleman and do not like to hit on little girls?" the man smirked. That smirk was really starting to annoy Buffy.

"If you're the gentleman then I'm not Debra Winger, Tommy Lee!" she said back. Which again caused him to look baffled.

"Who?" he asked puzzled.

"Tommy Lee?" she said, "Drummer of Motley Crüe? Has lots of tats and sleeps with Pamela Anderson?"

Again blank looks.

"You really aren't from around here, are you?" she asked.

"I apologize for my lack of understanding," he said, then he began to smirk again, "I am…. new around here."

"Let's make sure it's a short stay then," she said and launched another attack. A move which he easily blocked this time.

"No more punching around?" she said through gritted teeth.

"Time for something different," he said with that infuriating smirk of his. She threw another punch and followed it up with a kick, which he again easily blocked. Next thing punch and kick she threw his way got blocked and the fight now turned into a complicated dance of advanced martial arts.

"Good blocks," Buffy said, "really good blocks. I'm still going to kick your ass though. In a minute. Or two."

The man didn't respond. He just smirked some more as he continued to block her attacks. In a style which she didn't recognize.

In a way it exhilarating for her as well. After two years of martial arts training at the hands of her two watchers Buffy had become quite the expert at most martial arts but she just couldn't recognize her opponent's style. They seemed out of this world. It was driving her nuts and now she really wanted to get to the bottom of his. Blocks and counters as good as these could be useful and….

And then it happened.

Suddenly instead of blocking her attacks he stroke out and delivered a might punch that impacted hard in her gut. She'd been so focused on attacking and identifying his style that she had kinda neglected her defense. In a way it was good that Giles wasn't around to see it cause he'd bring down the lecture from Hell on her for being this negligent.

The strike felt like being hit with a sledgehammer, but she could take it. After all, she had done more then fight just fledges. As he stood next to her, not following up on his strike, apparently sizing her up again, faster then was humanly possible and somewhat infuriated she recovered and managed to get past his defenses and hit his chin.

Ha! Guess she wasn't the only one to lower her defenses. Both stepped back and took another short breather.

"I thought you didn't hit on girls?" Buffy said panting as she held her stomach.

"I never said I would, young lady," the man said massaging his chin, "I said I might be a gentleman. And you were really starting to neglect your defenses. A lesson was necessary."

"I get more of those then I'll ever need in school. And don't call me young lady, my name is Buffy."

"Now that just would not be proper, young lady," the man said shaking his head, "and besides good manners I was thought the hard way that one should never neglect one's defenses."

'It was only because you weren't attacking," she said back.

"Especially then, young lady! My teachers would have whipped me senseless for such a mistake," the man said and assumed a new fighting stance, "Now, since you seem to be able to take a punch prepare yourself, I will not hold back this time."

Again he resumed a fighting stance that she didn't recognize. And then he took to the offensive and it was Buffy's turn to hold him off.

One attack after the other followed in a remorseless tempo and she was only barely able to keep him from hurting her senseless. His punches and kicks felt like being hit with anvils and judging by the pain she was currently in she was so going to be sore tomorrow. Then a thought suddenly crept into her mind. What if she didn't make it to tomorrow?

Halfway into a series of punches the man made an almost impossible leap and landed behind her, then sweeping her of her feet. She smacked into the ground and before she could get up the man had pinned her down with one hand, his knee on her legs and the other hand raised in what could be a potentially devastating strike. She braced herself for the impact, closed her eyes and her short life flashing before her eyes.

But the strike never came

Opening up one eye she eyed the man wearily.

"No boom today?" she asked cautiously.

The man didn't respond, continuing to study her as he kept her pinned down.

"Whatever you're gonna do, please do it quickly," she said, "I got an early test tomorrow."

Suddenly the man released her, getting up as he smirked that infuriating smirk of his again.

"Not bad, young lady, not bad considering your level of power," the man said stepping backwards, "but you are still holding back."

You must be kidding, Buffy thought, not even Spike or the Master was up to this level and she had been giving her all. The man looked at her thinking, then held out his hand to help her up. Now this was weird. Usually her enemies didn't held out hands to help her on her feet. Slightly puzzled she took it, suspecting a trick. But he just helped her on her feet.

"Considering your level you did manage to put up a good fight, young lady," the man smiled, "what say you if we kick it up a notch?"

To her surprise he then began to slowly float into the air spreading out his arms. Two spheres of light started to flicker in his hands until they became two swirling globes of energy, intricate color patterns streaking across them. Something told her that touching them would be quite painful.

"What are you waiting for, young lady?" the man said waiting for her.

"I can't do that," Buffy objected almost in disbelief. The man looked surprised.

"Surely a skilled and accomplished fighter like you can manage to this?" he said bewildered, "Even a four year old should be able to do it."

"Listen, General Zod," she said snide as she put her hands in her sides, "around here people don't go off flying and start making light shows with their hands. Not without some serious magics they don't!"

The man looked surprised. The spheres of energy disappeared and he floated down again.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked looking somewhat disappointed.

"Oh, I'm more then sure, General Zod," Buffy said vehemently, "That would be need to know information since I'm the Slayer."

"You know I've heard about you," the man said as he touched down, "A vampire told me. I didn't think you were real until I came here, just some vampire's bad nightmare."

"I guess they say a lot of things about me," Buffy said.

"To bad they didn't say you couldn't fly," the man said appraisingly, "how about speed then? Try hitting me."

"My pleasure," Buffy said and lunged for the man only to find that she was hitting a fata morgana. He was suddenly literally gone.

"I'm over here," his voice came from behind her. There he stood, all smirking, arms folded. She punched again, but again she hit empty air. Again he had disappeared. Like Scotty had beamed him up. Only faster of course because his body didn't do the snow thing first.

"Or maybe I'm here," now came from her left, causing her to spin around and strike him.

Again however all she hit was air.

"The next time I might hit you, young lady," the man said as she moved around to struck another fata morgana.

"You are so going to get it now!" Buffy said with gritted teeth as again she hit a phantom image, "Just stand still for long enough so I can make you hurt."

"Peekaboo," suddenly five versions of the man said in unison before they all blurred out.

OK, this was so not going to work, Buffy thought as the guy was taunting her. Appearing and reappearing all over the place. Desperate times she thought. She closed her eyes, trying to focus. She could sense him earlier. Maybe if she tried again she could do so again. Time to go all Jedi on him.

"Here goes nothing," she said softly to herself. She blocked out his taunting, just breathed.

In and out.

In and out.

Suddenly she brought up her hands in front of her face and felt his fist impacting like a ten ton hammer against them. It almost knocked her off her feet but she managed to stand her ground. Just.

"There is no way you saw that coming," the man said surprised, taking a step backwards again. But not blurring out again.

"I felt it," Buffy replied said as she opened her eyes and began to smile a smirk of her own. Sure, she stopped him once. By letting herself be all open. There was probably no way she could do that again.

"Good," the man said approvingly, "I was somewhat disappointed that you could not do chi but it would seem you do have some potential after all. If you would like to sit down and do me the honor of sharing a drink we will talk and tell each other the things we need to know."

"Wow dinner and a movie after all," Buffy said glib, "Usually when they try to beat me up they try to follow it up with a serious case of death."

Again the man gave her a funny eye.

"Well, I am not sure about the movie part but technically we are only going to have some drinks instead," he said and gestured towards a comfortable looking grave, "Shall we?"

For a moment Buffy hesitated. Meeting strange men in cemeteries in the middle of the night was usually not a recipe for success. Maybe she should take a rain check? Exercise some of that common sense that Giles was always lambasting her for?

She was just about to decline when the guy reached behind the grave and pulled forth a bottle and two glasses.

"Gee, you really weren't kidding," she said surprised as the man began to fill both glasses, then he held out one towards her.

 _Common sense, Buffy, common sense,_ one part of her brain tried to tell her, _you couldn't beat this guy. Have him come by at Giles and let him do the pumping for information of you have any sense left._

 _Think of how impressed he will be if you manage to get the full story out of this guy now,_ another part of her brain said, _you've trusted people for less and…. are those chocolate chip cookies?_

Taking the glass and the cookie that was being offered to her Buffy threw caution to the wind and sat down opposite this strange man. Who then began to tell her tale.

A tale of space men.

x

x

"So you are telling me you are 4000 year old alien from outer space? That's a first, the alien part that is" Buffy said as she nibbled on her second cookie, "you know this cookie goes great with that tasty beverage after a steamy fight."

The man smiled. They had sat down on an inviting grave and the man had finally introduced himself as Belmovekk, a being of an alien race called Saiyans.

"It is my special recipe," Belmovek smiled at her, "great to restore the fluids after a good hard workout."

"Alien Gatorade, nice."

The alien relaxed against the tombstone behind him.

"I would imagine that a girl who fights these vampires would not be that surprised to meeting someone from another world," he said, "from what I've seen most other people of this world seem to be quite oblivious to the creatures that inhabit their world."

'I call it the Sunnydale effect," Buffy sighed and nodded to the town behind her, "they just don't want to see it. Call it gangs on PCP instead or something. My own mother saw a bunch of them last week and she's already convinced herself it couldn't be real what she had seen."

"Ignorance is bliss, I guess," the Saiyan agreed, "could be helpful though if you do not want to have a lot of busybodies in the way. A girl like you would otherwise attract a lot of attention from the wrong people."

"I guess so," Buffy agreed as she thought it over. While it was at times helpful that nobody seemed to notice, nobody likes to slave away unnoticed and unthanked for either as well. At least not all the time. While she would loath being the talk of the town, one 'Yay Buffy' day would be nice though. Even a single 'Buffy Rocks and is Awesome!' award would be a nice gesture. The Alien noticed her introspection and leaned over.

"Lets play the truth game, young lady," he said mischievously, "you ask, I tell, I ask, you tell. Deal?"

"Deal," Buffy said, "What kind of aliens are you Seances?"

"Saiyans, young lady," he said raising an eyebrow in disdain.

"Like I said, Seances," Buffy smiled.

She may not be able to defeat him in battle, but in wordgames he seemed as easily distracted as Giles. Belmovekk gave her a slight frown o'doom but then softened and continued.

"We Saiyans were a warrior race like none other," the alien said as he leaned back again, "We were the scourge of the universe, delivering major ass kicking to those that we thought needed to be ass kicked. We trained ourselves from birth to kick ass and few could surpass us in that department. Others who wished to have some ass kicking delivered sought our services to do it for them. We were quite nasty pieces of works."

"So you were like mercenaries and stuff?" Buffy asked.

"You could call it that, young lady," the Saiyan said after some thinking, "although I am sure the dictionary would use another term."

"Well, me and the dictionary don't always see eye to eye," Buffy replied.

"I noticed," the Saiyan grinned.

"Why did you say were and not are?" Buffy asked.

"You had your question," Belmovekk said, "now answer me mine. What is a vampire Slayer?"

"You heard the speech I gave to Rickboy," Buffy said as she nodded towards where his ashes had been scattered into the wind, "In every generation is born a Slayer to kick bad guy ass and keep the world safe for the oblivious people to be oblivious in."

"I heard that part, young lady," the Saiyan said, "it explains what you are, but what does it mean?"

Buffy held up her hand and started to count.

"It means I get lots of extra strength, reaction time, faster healing, enhanced senses and lots of sleepless nights waiting for the likes of Rick to rise from their graves. That would be on a good night."

"And on a bad night," Belmovekk asked her.

"Then I get my ass kicked if lucky or totally owned when not," Buffy replied quickly, as if to ignore the subject, "now my question. Why did you say were instead of are?"

The Saiyan raised an eyebrow, then he answered.

"I used past tense because nowadays the Saiyan race has two slight problems. First our home world was kinda destroyed and secondly 99.99% of us were on it at the time."

"Ouch! Thats gotta hurt," Buffy said taken aback, "are there many of you left?"

"Only three that I know off, including me," Belmovekk shrugged, to him it happened ages ago, he got over it, "they're all here on this planet by the way. How does this Slayer thing work?"

"I just told you," Buffy countered, "all the extra bonus points upon becoming a Slayer."

"No, I mean who gives you that?" Belmovekk asked, "In my experience extra power has to come from somewhere."

Buffy shrugged.

"I have no idea," she said, "once you become a Slayer suddenly you're breaking off door knobs and crushing glasses. I've asked Giles and even he doesn't know where it exactly comes from. Nobody seems to know any more. My turn. Are you really 4000 years old? Do you really live for that long? What did you do?"

"Well, actually….," the Saiyan said a little uncomfortable, "I'm kinda the exception to that rule. The story of that is a bit…., complicated. I will tell you later. But yes, I am truly 4000 years old and just so you know it, it is not always as good as sounds. Think of it like this, you apparently do not always like being the Slayer. Now imagine being it for 4000 years without a break straight. How would you like that?"

Buffy thought about and she could think of only one word.

"Somehow ubersuck comes to mind," she finally said.

"How does a Slayer get born into every generation?" the Saiyan asked.

"Simple," Buffy replied, "one Slayer dies, a new girl becomes the Slayer. Going back for…., I'm not sure but if Giles is correct probably even more then your 4000 years. I became the Slayer two years ago. What do you mean when you said there were more of your kind here and that you Seances were nasty pieces of work?"

Belmovekk looked like he wanted to correct her again but decided not to at the last possible moment. Which in Buffy's mind made him smarter at least then Giles in that respect.

"Well, for some strange reason the Prince of all Saiyans ended up here. He lives up north by the way. He is a nasty piece of work. The other one lives across the ocean. He is married and has a kid. Nice guy. We are not sure how he got here but he fell on his head as a baby and has been as sweet as a baby ever since. Saved this world a couple of times from what I gathered. He has gotten himself a wife a kid and collected a motley group of friends, mostly humans, who could probably all kick your ass from here to the moon, young lady. The Slayer may be stronger then 99.99% of all humans but that still leaves a tiny percentage who are."

Humans who were actually stronger then her? Was that even possible? Not according to Giles. She remembered asking him once if there was anyone else out there who was like her. A ploy on her part to find out if there were so maybe she could turn over the family business as it were and finally get a life of her own. Of course Giles had quickly extinguished that little notion by saying that in 9000 years of recorded Council history no such human being had ever existed other then the Slayer.

"How can this be?" Buffy said shaken, "Giles said I was the Slayer. That nothing human could rival the Slayer."

"He is obviously wrong, probably misinformed" Belmovekk smiled, "like I said, you are good, young lady, but compared to them you are hopelessly outclassed. Who is Giles?"

"He's my Watcher," Buffy replied.

"Your Watcher?"

"There this secret group of people who seek out Slayers and potential Slayers and then train them to be fight the baddies."

"Bizarre," the Saiyan nodded as he mulled it over, "secret societies, never a good thing. Secrets do bad things to secret societies. They are usually more trouble then they are worth. After a while they are usually more busy keeping secrets then what they were originally formed for."

"That's the tweed brigade to a fault," Buffy agreed, "Giles, he is my second watcher. The first got killed more then a year ago by this big uber vamp. These watchers are usually very British and very stuffy."

"Britain, a country in Europe," the Saiyan said as he tapped his scouter, as if to see something, "oh, that one. I past it on the way here."

"Did I also mention they are also very big on tweed? So did your spaceship pass it on the way here?"

"No, I used something called Concorde," the Saiyan replied getting a weird look, "why are you looking at me like that, young lady? By the standards of this planet Paris to New York in a few hours is not that bad if you do not want to attract attention from the wrong people. I am new here."

"You're like new here to the planet, ET phone home, and yet you still manage to fly with the Concorde?" snorted Buffy, "How insane is that?"

The Saiyan shrugged.

"First thing they teach you in special training. When on a mission always maintain a low profile and always try to use local transport. The purpose after all is to blend in, not stand out. Do they not teach you anything, young lady?

"Giles tries," Buffy smiled, "but then he goes all stuffy and I just zone out. Giles tried to get me to behave like all the other Slayers they had in the past but luckily he has lightened up in the past year. Are there any more cookies? "

The Saiyan didn't respond, seemingly lost in thought. But he did held out the box of cookies towards her and she took one, followed by another sip from the alien's drink when suddenly the Saiyan looked at her again.

"What a minute, young lady, you said a Slayer dies, some other girl becomes the Slayer. How long do Slayers last?"

Buffy frowned, that was the one part of being the Slayer that she hated and preferred not to dwell upon. And yet some things were unavoidable as she remembered something that Giles had once said.

"From what Giles told me I'm already in the top group of longest living Slayers the watchers know of," she said, "Apparently most don't seem to make it past the first year."

That seemed to shock the Saiyan.

"And this is acceptable to these people?" he asked, "to send out girls like you to fight these vampires and other demons all alone knowing fully well that they could die within a year?"

"Well, we have these Slayer skills and stuff, it's not the way I want it, but what can you do about it?" Buffy said defensively, not out of revulsion at the idea as she had often thought similarly, more out of…., yeah, why actually? Loyalty to the Tweed brigade? The only one she felt any kind of loyalty too was Giles and…., maybe that was it.

"Young lady, no offense, your skills are not bad but you lack any rudimentary skills in chi usage," the Saiyan said, scoffing at her words, "Any Saiyan 4 year old would have wiped the floor with you."

"I know you've beaten me, General Zod, but there's no need for the Joan Collins 'tude," Buffy bit back.

"Joan Collins 'tude? You have some weird expressions, young lady," Belmovekk replied shaking his head.

"No funnier then you," Buffy countered, "Mister 18th century reject!"

"That insult might mean anything if I actually knew what it was," the Saiyan shrugged.

For a second Buffy balled her fist and wanted to ram it into his face. Then she relented. For all she knew he might even like it and take it as a Séance marriage proposal.

"I know I'm not the best," she finally said, "and that I drive Giles crazy as he tries to teach me stuff. But I try my best, and unlike all the other Slayers who've been trained by the Council from like before birth I'm still around. So I must be doing something right."

"You mentioned him before," Belmovekk asked as he reached for another cookie, then aimed the box seductively towards her, "said he was your Watcher. What does he do? What is in the job description?"

"Giles is….," Buffy tried to say, then she stopped, not sure where to proceed or what their relationship had become like, "…, he's like my boss, my teacher and kinda like my father rolled into one, I guess. He's from the Tweed brigade so he's wicked smart with the books. And even though he always comes up with some old threat at the worst possible moment unfortunately he's always right. Bad juju always happens when he said it will."

"So he is your researcher and handler rolled into one?" Belmovekk asked.

"He also teaches me new techniques and stuff," she continued.

"Also your instructor then?" the Saiyan said, "Is he a martial artist himself?"

"Giles? Martial arts?" Buffy sniggered, "That is _so_ not his thing. He tries to, cause he's really, really book smart. And he's got wicked attention to detail. But deep down he's a librarian. He really, really likes books."

"I know a few people like that," the Saiyan said, a sudden dreamy look indicating he was reminiscing.

"But the really good part about Giles is that he tries to listen," Buffy said, "Even though I can babble on like forever about anything and I absolutely murder the English language he does try to listen. If feels good to be listened too. Even by someone who can't understand half of what I'm saying. My father used to do that. Didn't matter whatever he was doing, when I came to talk to him he always made time to listen to me. Mom is great, don't get me wrong, but she never tries to listen, she always has an opinion on everything. But dad listened. I miss that."

She must have been giving off such a sad vibe even Mr, Alien picked up upon it.

"Did your father pass away?" he asked concerned, "I do not wish to intrude on something personal but you sound as if he passed away tragically."

"If only it were that simple," Buffy said looking away, "No, my father's not dead. Not last time I checked. No, my parents are divorced."

The Saiyan looked at her funny.

"I, uh, do not understand the concept," he said puzzled. Great try explaining that to him. She tried to tell him what divorce meant and how her parents had gotten divorced after she became the Slayer. She left out the part though where she believed her Calling had been the cause of said divorce.

"But surely you have something similar?" she finally asked, "Maybe you guys call it different but I doubt you guys have the keys to happily ever after stashed away somewhere."

"No," he said shaking his head.

"No as in no divorce or no on the keys to happily ever after?" she asked.

"While our relationships have our ups and downs too, Saiyans mate for life," Belmovekk said, "We do not inflict this horrible custom on our families."

"No way!" Buffy said wide eyed, "Then what do you guys do when have problems?"

"We work them out?" the Saiyan replied in earnest, "What else is there to do? We make our choice, we must live by them. This divorce thing sounds more like running away to me. Do Earthers do that all the time?"

"But what if you can't work things out?" Buffy asked.

"Work at it even harder?" the Saiyan said back like it was the most obvious thing to do.

"And what if the man hits the women?" Buffy asked, "Surely she can't be expected to just suck it up? Be the good little obedient wife."

"Why must everything be so absolute with you Earthers?" Belmovekk said horrified, "If a Saiyan male strikes a Saiyan female she hits him back. It is that simple."

Figures! They're a warrior culture, Buffy thought as she mentally facepalmed herself, they probably even get a kick out of that.

"And what if she's weaker?" she asked in a last ditch effort.

"She challenges him to a duel which has fixed rules on the amount of strength you can use," Belmovekk said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, well, probably his world, "And if that doesn't work she calls upon her family to kick some sense into the man. A pack of surly brothers and uncles can be very convincing."

Oh, I bet they would, Buffy thought, suddenly having a vision of her mother's family having a 'firm' conversation with her father. Somehow it was a pleasing vision, so maybe there was something to this Séance way of doing things.

Then she felt saddened again as it reminded her off her loss and the big father-shaped hole that she felt. Pleasing though the vision was, it wouldn't bring her father back to her. And even though she had spent the summer with him she already missed him terribly. A hole that Giles had somehow began to fill.

"I know that Giles worries about me," she said looking down, "That every time he sends me on a mission he's worried that I won't come back. He doesn't say it, but ever since before the summer I can see it in his eyes."

"What happened before the summer?" the Saiyan asked curious.

"Oh, nothing much," Buffy shrugged, "Just that I died."

x

x

(Several months earlier)

x

Wearing her special prom dress Buffy walked through the darkened school corridors towards the Library. Tonight was going to be the night the Master would rise. Tonight was also going to be the night she was prophesized to die.

As soon as she reached the Library she heard voices talking and halted. Standing just outside of the doors she listened in.

"Okay, so this Master guy tried to open the Hellmouth," she heard Jenny Callendar's voice say, "But he got stuck in it, and now all the signs are reading that he's gonna get out, which opens the Hellmouth, which brings the demons, which ends the world."

"Yes. That about sums it up, yes," Giles' voice replied, followed by the plunk of weapons being put on the table.

"The part that gets me, though, is where Buffy is the Vampire Slayer," Jenny's voice said, "She's so little."

Little? That skinny bitch!

"You know how to get in touch with this, uh, brother Luca chap?" Giles' voice asked.

" Hmm. As far as I can tell, no one can. He's disappeared," Jenny's voice replied, "Did send out one last global though. A short one."

"What did it say?"

"Isaiah 11:6," Jenny said, "which I dutifully looked up."

"'The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf, the lion and the fatling together, and the little child to lead them.'," Giles said without missing a beat. Causing Buffy to smile. That's her Giles. Always knowing everything.

"That's kinda warm and fuzzy for a message of doom," Jenny's voice said a little puzzled.

The tall skinny bitch had a point, Buffy thought.

"Well, that depends where he's leading them to," Giles' voice said, "Aurelius wrote of

the Anointed One, 'The Slayer will not know him, and he will lead her into Hell.'"

Okay. No longer sounding good.

"So Luca thinks the Anointed is a kid?" Jenny's voice asked.

"If the vampire that Buffy killed was in fact not the Anointed, then it may well be," Giles said. Great, so the Annoying One was still around?

"Well, then we need to warn her," Jenny's voice said.

Then Giles said something that completely took Buffy by surprise.

"I don't intend involving her at all," he said resolute.

Giles, she thought, what the hell?

"What do you mean?" Jenny's voice asked equally surprised.

"Buffy's not gonna face the Master. I am," Giles' voice said.

For a brief moment Buffy felt stunned, then she felt her heart swell. With pride, pride in her Watcher who apparently was going to sacrifice himself for her. And love. Love for the man who was willing to do that for her.

There was of course no way she was going to stand for that and pushed open the door into the Library.

"No, you're not," she said as she walked inside, causing Giles and Jenny to be utterly surprised.

"So, I'm looking for a kid, huh?" Buffy said as she walked up to the table with weapons, "And he'll lead me to the Master?"

To his credit Giles quickly recovered. He didn't even stammer.

Much.

"Buffy, I'm not gonna send you out there to die. Now, you were right. I-I've waded around in these old books for so long, I've forgotten what the real world is like. I-it's time I found out."

Yeah, Giles had really come a long way since they first met, almost a year ago.

"You're still not going up against the Master," Buffy said shaking her head.

"I've made up my mind," Giles said resolute

"So have I," Buffy said back, much to Giles' chagrin.

"I made up my mine first!" he said agitated, "I'm older and wiser than you, and just.. just do what you're told for once! Alright?"

"That's not how it goes," Buffy said shaking her head, "I'm the Slayer."

"I don't care what the books say," Giles stated, "I defy prophecy, and I am going. There's nothing you can say will change my mind."

Words could not describe how proud she was of her Watcher. And how much she loved him right now.

"I know," she said feeling a lump in her throat. Which made it all the harder to do what she had to do next.

Pretending to go to put him at ease she then turned around and decked him right in the face. As he fell backwards Jenny sprung into action coming to his aid. Knowing that Giles was in good hand Buffy reached and picked up her cross from the table and put it back on.

Meanwhile Jenny had cradled Giles' head in her lap and looked up towards Buffy.

"When he wakes up tell him..," Buffy tried to say, feeling the need for some fitting last words but couldn't, "I don't know. Think of something cool, tell him I said it."

"You fight the Master, and you'll die," Jenny spoke up as Buffy reached for a crossbow on the table.

"Maybe," she said as she examined the crossbow, "And maybe I'll take him with me."

x

x

(the present)

x

"So you went out there knowing you would die, and that it would cause great grief to your Watcher," Belmovekk said after he had heard her story, "There are some who would argue that that is what a true hero would do. Know that you are going to die and meet it anyway. Epic songs have been made about such people."

"Well, it's not the same when you're actually doing it, E.T.," Buffy said, feeling the emotional despair she had felt at the time again.

"But you did it anyway," the Saiyan said, "regardless of why you did it, you still did it. It still makes you a hero."

"Yeah, well I didn't feel heroic," Buffy said as she averted his gaze, "I still don't. And the more people keep saying I'm a hero, the bigger the phony I feel."

Buffy fell silence, then she hopped off the grave.

"You want to know why I did it? Why I really did it?" she said almost angry.

"Well, why did you do it?" Belmovekk asked.

"Because I wanted it to be over!" Buffy said, "There, I said it. I just wanted it to be over. The endless wait for the hammer to fall, knowing that any moment could be my last. And now it was prophesized. It felt like the jig was up and you know what. I felt relieved. It was finally going to be over. There! The big hero turns out to be a coward after all."

There! She had finally said it. To a stranger perhaps. Whom she had just met. But she had said it.

"Aren't you going to hit me with some warrior wisdoms?" Buffy asked as the Saiyan said nothing, "Feeling disappointed?"

"Even heroes can feel despair," Belmovekk finally said, then he leaned forward, "Tell me this though, when you went to meet this Master and when you faced him, did you still try to win? Or did you throw the fight?"

"Of course I tried to win," Buffy huffed insulted, "It's not like I offered him my neck with a sign that said 'bite me!'."

"Then I guess you are still a hero," the Saiyan said, "Even heroes are allowed to be flawed. And almost all have them in my experience."

"That's easy for you to say," Buffy countered, "You're 4000 years old. You probably did all sorts of heroic hero stuff. I just wanted it to be over."

"I am not a hero, young lady," the Saiyan said shaking his head, "I have done many good things in my long life, but I also did terrible unspeakable things. Terrible things. When I die I will go to Hell and burn there with the rest of my people. And I can live with that. A price has to be paid."

"Ring, ring!" Buffy said pretending to pick up a cell phone and then put it to her ear, "Angel just called, I think he wants his guilt trip back."

"So what happened?" Belmovekk said, ignoring her quip, "With the Master I mean. You said you had died. Did he kill you?"

"Like bad foot odor," Buffy said and exposed her necks where his puncture marks could still be seen as two small scars, "He drank from me 'till he had enough, then he drowned me."

"I see," Belmovekk said folding both hands together.

"You wanna hear the funny thing, the real kicker?" Buffy said as she put her arms around herself, "The big irony with a big iron thingy in it? If I hadn't gone down there, if I had stayed away from him I would have negated the prophecy that I was going to die and he be set free. He'd still be down there. Instead by going there I put the whole thing into motion in the first place."

Instead of laughing as she expected he just nodded gravely.

"Yeah, prophecies can be like that," he finally said, "Sometimes when you try to avert them the most you do the exact thing they want to happen."

"You're really odd, you know that?" Buffy said, giving him a weary stare.

"We all have our crosses to bear," the Saiyan said, then he picked up the box with cookies and held it up towards her, "Cookie?"

As she took the last chocolate chip cookie the Saiyan crumpled up the box.

"So, how did they bring you back?" he asked, "After all, you had died. Did they use the Dragonballs?"

"The what?" Buffy said flabbergasted.

"I guess not," Belmovekk said as he threw away the crumpled box which then burned up in an instant and went poof.

"There's a dragon and you can bring people back with his balls?" Buffy said slowly, "That's disgusting. What do you have to do? Lick them?"

"Forget I mentioned them," Belmovekk said, "How did they bring you back?"

"CPR," Buffy said, then she saw his confused look again, "Life saving techniques? Why, you really aren't from around here, aren't you? If somebody dies from like drowning and if you're quick enough to get the heart pumping again you can come back to life again. I think the technical term for that is brain dead. Two of my friends came after me within minutes of me dying, found me lying in a pool and brought me back to life."

"Ah," the Saiyan nodded, "We knew similar techniques. We call it the false dead."

"Yeah, whatever," Buffy said.

"How did it make you feel?" he asked curious, "Most people that I knew embraced life to the fullest. You on the other hand do not strike me as someone who now embraces life to the fullest."

"God, you're really channeling Frasier, aren't you," Buffy said annoyed, "Without his funny sidekick that is."

"I am curious," the Saiyan shrugged, "The only way to satisfy that curiosity is by asking questions. I hear it is a very natural occurring process in most people."

"And there comes the sarcasm," Buffy said, "just like Frasier. Well, you know how it made me feel? At first I felt great. Like being reborn. I think it even made me stronger cause I kicked the Master's ass so hard it closed the Hellmouth. Then it made me bitchy. If you wanna know about that, ask Xander. He bore the brunt of my bitchyness. And now…., I'm not sure. I feel…., like…"

"Like as you said the jig is still up?" Belmovekk filled in, "Like you are still waiting for the hammer to fall?"

"Yeah," Buffy nodded slowly, "Like I'm living on borrowed time or something. God, now I really feel depressed. Too bad there are no more cookies."

"Who said there are not?" the Saiyan smiled, reached behind the grave for a moment, then he pulled forth another box which he held out towards her.

"How many of those boxes do you have there?" Buffy asked stunned as she opened the box, "Is that you're hidden plan to defeat me? Feed Buffy cookies till I'm too fat to fight or something?"

"No hidden plan," the Saiyan smiled, "And enough cookies as are needed. Or something else if you want too."

"No, these are great," Buffy said as she bit into one.

For a while she nibbled on her cookies and let the chocolate inside them sooth her. Chocolate was good. Chocolate was holy. Sugary goodness, as Xander often said.

"TORAK'S TEETH!" the Saiyan suddenly said angry and slammed his fist into the grave on which he was sitting, causing it to crack.

"What?" she asked, her mouth full of cookie, "You wanted some too?"

"I am sorry, young lady," the Saiyan said apologetic, "I just feel outrage at your situation. It is not right. You should not have had to live through what you did."

"I know," Buffy shrugged, "It's the ubersuck. But getting angry and breaking gravestones isn't going to change it. Got to make the best of it I suppose and enjoy it while it lasts."

"It is not alright," Belmovekk said and got off the grave. Which allowed her to say that he had done more then just made a crack into the grave stone. It had completely shattered.

"While I agree that you cannot change who you are, with a little extra effort and training you could be so much more. Why does your Council not train you properly? You have no knowledge in the art of chi for instance. We Saiyans do not have the secret of the universe to this knowledge. It exists on this world also. To not teach it to girls like you is beyond obscene, this….., this is callous neglect, young lady. These Watchers should be all painfully killed for allowing this to happen. Not your Giles of course, as he seems a good fellow, but still…."

"OK, first of all, now you are getting me power-freaked," Buffy said as she put down the box of cookies, and she meant it. He was starting to freak her out.

"Secondly, would you please stop calling me young lady. My name is Buffy. Thirdly, it's OK, I."

"No I don't find this OK, young lady," the Saiyan said as he turned around and looked at her pensively, "it irks me mightily that most of you girls don't make it past year one. We Saiyans used to send some of our children to other worlds to either die in combat or enrich our gene pool by surviving. It was inexcusable but we did not know any better. We were wrapped in our glorious warrior ethos. We thought that in the end it was for the better. But this worse, it reeks of complacent negligence. With that kind of death rate you kids should not be allowed to go out at all. Especially alone. You need some back up at least."

"But I have back up," Buffy protested, "I have friends who help me, fight by my side."

"Are they as strong as you, young lady?" Belmovekk asked, cupping an elbow with his hand so the other hand could support his chin.

He had her there. Her friends couldn't support her. At least not in that way. They could not even defend themselves fro the dangers they faced. They gave good moral support but she did fear that one day she might not be able to save them. That one day she would slip up and let harm befall one of them. Or all. Especially Xander. At least Giles and Willow had the good sense to not go into the thickest of frays. But Xander did insist in following her into the thickest of frays. And while she appreciate the gesture she did suspect he had ulterior motives for it, things she could never hope to live up to.

"No, but they are good friends," she said eventually, "Giles knows everything there is in the world, Willow is very smart, and Xander is.. he's morale guy. What's gotten in you, E.T.? You suddenly look so wild bunch. We were having a nice conversation. With cookies. Tasty cookies."

The Saiyan raised an eyebrow but then his eyes narrowed.

"You have not seen me angry, young lady," he said, "I enjoyed our spar, even though you are light years below my league, but I am royally pissed that girls like you are being thrown away like cannon fodder by those who should do the actual fighting themselves. If Goku's friends can reach strengths bigger then yours, surely they can train you girls better. Instead that council seems content to be pissing away you girls instead. Girls like you should not have to go out at night and get themselves killed. They should be like other girls, doing what they want to do."

"No argument there," Buffy said, then she shrugged, "But yelling isn't going to make it any better. Unless you can magically snap your fingers and not make me the Slayer. Or make me ten times stronger."

The Saiyan mulled it over some more and then his eyes lit up as he looked at her again.

"This is your lucky night, young lady," he finally said, "I happen to find myself with some spare time for the coming few years. As a Saiyan I can not stay idle so I must train to improve myself. It is in my blood. I invite you to train with me. I will make it my business to make you the longest living Slayer ever in history. I am going to teach you the skills and training my people gave me."

"You're going to teach me how to fly and that kind of stuff?" Buffy asked surprised. The Saiyan smiled and nodded in agreement.

"By the time I am finished with you, young lady, you are going to kick my sorry ass from here to the moon. Well, maybe not me but certainly a lot of your nasties. Come here again tomorrow evening and we shall start. In fact, bring your friends as well so I will train their asses too and I can tear your watcher a new asshole for sending you out alone."

"Most of the time Giles comes along, though," Buffy replied defending her watcher. After all he wasn't that bad. Most of the time. OK, 99.99%.

"That is good to hear," Belmovekk said appreciatively and knelt down before Buffy, "You have talent, young lady. You have been both blessed and cursed. I can sort of relate to that. I too had no say in which paths my life was going to take me. Most of it anyway. Although you are a bit late in life to start the training I can give you, because you are the Slayer you probably have a better position to start with then most. I think you are stronger then I was when they first tutored me."

"Are you going to teach me all sorts of Séances weapons and stuff," Buffy smiled, "that would be cool."

"Weapons," Belmovekk snorted, "we Saiyans don't need weapons. Who needs weapons when you can do this?"

And with that Belmovekk created a ball of energy in his right hand and threw it against the gravestone of poor Rick the ex vampire.

BOOM!

It blew up into a million pieces.

"See you tomorrow, young lady," Belmovekk said as he smiled at her, then he stood up and slowly lifted up into the air, then once he was up twenty feet he suddenly took off like a rocket in a blaze of white energy, for once leaving Buffy in a state that Giles would have called bliss, utterly speechless.

x

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AN 2017: _Lots of rewrites in this chapter. For one the Belgarath memoirs bit got moved to the previous chapter. And while the Buffy/Belmo scenes weren't as bad as I thought, I felt they needed more time to connect in order for Belmo to offer his aid. For her to properly tell a story that would paint the hopelessness of her job. Not that he's a careless jerk. Just that it works better that way, IMHO._


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

 **'He's green?'**

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AN: _Chapters 5 to 6 came out in one go as 1 to 3 originally. They were my attempt at getting to grips with writing a Buffy crossover. Later chapters were written as I saw fit, out of sequence and benefitted from the experience gained in here. As for the Scoobies powerlevels, I just made them up. In later parts I've used actual spreadsheets to calculate them though.  
_

 _Haruchai: I wrote this story in 2006, so its bound to be a bit old. I'm currently working on the 6th part. Have no fear for the Stargate stuff, it will return in Part 2, and all the other parts. Just not in the rest of this part. Except for the odd subtle hint. ;) Haruchai: I wrote this story in 2006, so its bound to be old. Have no fear for the Stargate stuff, it will return in Part 2, and all the other parts. Just not in the rest of this part. Except for the odd subtle hint. ;)_

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To say Buffy's little adventure from last night kicked up the hornet's nest was understatement. When Giles heard of last nights events he immediately started to clean his glasses. Or as Xander had dubbed behind his back, the Giles maneuver. A.k.a. the harbinger of doom.

"Are y-y-you sure he said he was an a-a-alien and not some demon from another d-dimension, Buffy?" Giles asked after he had finished a hefty cleaning session.

"Yup," she nodded, "that's what he said. Didn't quite feel like a vamp or demon. Didn't feel quite human either. If a vamp goes an 8 or 9 on the Buffydar he'd rate more about a 2.5. Called himself a Séance.

"Are you sure of that?" Giles asked, his hands seemingly twitching to start cleaning glasses again.

"If you're going to say 'are you sure' one more time I'm going to spank you," Buffy said slightly annoyed.

"Oh, that I gotta see," Xander said, suddenly all attention.

"I'm sorry," Giles said as he put his cleaning cloth away, "it's just n-n-not every day we encounter aliens."

"You mean _I_ encounter aliens?" Buffy snorted, "but what's the diff? Demons, aliens, it's all one big universe right?"

"Tremendous," Xander said holding his hands apart, "the final frontier."

"The undiscovered country," Willow quickly added.

"Alright, alright, I get the picture," Giles said.

"Surely at some time something from the big black must have come down here and bumbed heads with the Slayer," Buffy asked her Watcher.

"There are…., rumors," Giles replied after some thinking, "but not many."

"Makes sense," Xander said musing out loud, "after all, you guys watch the supernatural and all. Maybe there is something else altogether for the extraterrestrial."

"Xander, you're not helping," Giles said slightly annoyed, "and don't you dare mention that abominable X-files show!"

"I think he's starting to know you," Willow whispered to Xander.

"No he doesn't," Xander whispered back, "I was thinking more of X-Com."

"Let's get back to the matter at hand," Giles sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "like our alien friend. Buffy, you he said could blow up things by creating energy balls?"

"That's what he did," Buffy said as she sat next to her friends, "if you want you can go see the crater at the cemetery. It's the secluded one on the east side."

"I-I-I'm sure you were correct, Buffy," Giles replied. It still didn't ring any bells.

"Is there anything in the books about…., Séances, well, aliens?" Xander asked.

"No," said the librarian, "it's like Buffy said, they are all about vampires, demons, and monsters, not aliens. Like I said, beyond some old rumors of really long ago we've just never encountered any."

"That is a major gap in your literature, Giles," Xander said and pointed both index fingers at the Watcher, "maybe you should do a quick studying up. I suggest renting the complete seasons of the original Star Trek. Although I would refrain from some of the newer series. The Next Generation and DS9 are OK, but Voyager is a major suckfest. I also wholeheartedly endorse Babylon 5. What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"I worry for you sometimes," Buffy said shaking her head.

"So I like that kind of stuff," Xander said defensively," it's harmless. It's not as if I get drunk every Friday night and go all soccer hooligan on everybody. I like my entertainment to be wholesome and my violence to be on the little screen. I'm a pacifist at heart who likes to watch planet killers on television blowing up stuff instead ."

"And you don't see the contradiction in that?" Buffy asked, causing Xander to shrug.

"I'm irrational that way," he shrugged, "Must be that 'One of the Girl's' card you girls made for me.

"I could check the Internet," Willow offered towards Giles.

"You do that," Giles said.

"You know the G-man is spooked if he doesn't include words like infernal contraption and hellish network when you mention the word Internet," Xander whispered to Willow who couldn't help but smile. But despite Willow's best attempts she couldn't dig up anything about Saiyans. Probably because the only reference they had about Saiyans was Buffy's mangled Séances.

"There is nothing about these, uh, aliens, Giles," she said, glancing briefly at Buffy, "just lots of stuff about little Grey men with big eyes who abduct people."

"Those are probably just inhabitants of the Xor dimension," Giles said absentminded, "they like to drop in from time to time and pester people. Relatively harmless."

"Relatively harmless, if you enjoy anal probes that is," Xander joked, then he pointed two thumbs at himself, "And before anyone said anything, I am not of that particular persuasion."

"Oh," Buffy said as she remembered something, "he did mention that there were two others like him on this planet. One to the north of here, one on the other side of the ocean and that he had assembled a group of which was also kind of strong. And he did drop a name, a Goku or something."

"Let's see if we can find anything about that," Willow said as she called up her bookmarks and search engines.

"What kind of stupid name is Goku," Xander remarked.

"It's Asian, Xander, and I'll bet there are a lot of Asians who think Xander is a weird name as well," Giles said.

"That's because they are Asians, G-man, I happen to think my name is rather stylish," Xander grinned, "Protector of mankind it means. Revered in India they say."

"Except in Persia," Giles remarked off handed, "which isn't that surprising as Alexander the Great did burn down their capital in 3…."

Giles stopped talking and raced to his books, his mind already on other things. Dusting off some old watcher journals he frantically started looking in them.

"I don't know which geek is scarier," Xander whispered to Buffy, "Willow on the computer or Giles and his books."

'Yeah," Buffy agreed, "battle of the ubergeeks. Although you seem to be holding up in that department also, Captain Xander."

"We will never be able to shake off the social stigma," Xander said to himself as he held up his hand in the Vulcan greeting gesture.

x

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x

In the end both came through.

'I knew it," Giles said triumphantly, "I knew I've came across the name of Goku at one time or another. More then seven years ago a watcher in the Far East reported of a certain martial arts event called Tenka ichi Budokai. Extremely secluded, for the in crowd only."

"Oh, like that Jean-Claude Van Damme movie," Xander said, "where he wins that tournament and kills lots of bricks. And very nasty bricks they were to."

"Please," Buffy snorted, "that guy is so carbon dated. All he ever does is show off how good he can do a split."

"At least he can act just a little better then that Steven Seagal," Xander said, "he only has one expression, you know the one where it looks like he constantly smells a number two."

"But that aikido stuff of his looks cool though," Buffy said.

"Anyway," Giles continued before it degenerated into another movie vs. movie discussion, "about this tournament. Sometimes some demons go there as well to compete. Since it's forbidden to kill a contestant the Watchers Council isn't that concerned. Although whenever it's being held and a local Slayer is nearby they've been known to enter her."

"Now apparently a guy named Son Goku appeared at the tournament for the third time in a row and entered the competition. At first the watcher didn't take notice of the guy, except for his weird hair that, and I quote 'has Newton moaning in his grave since it defies the laws of gravity as we know it' and a pair of eyes that weren't blue, green or brown but ink black."

"That's like that Belmovekk guy," Buffy said pointing towards Giles, "he also had those inky eyes and extreme gel mouse hair."

"I'm sure he does," Giles said, "anyway. Except for his appearance the watcher was more interested in some of the other contestants. Including what he believed to be a green skinned demon."

"Green as in hot Captain Kirk with some Orion slave girls green," Xander smiled? Giles just sighed, muttered something softly which sounded suspiciously much like 'I should have known' and continued.

"It seems this Goku continued to win every match and both he and the green demon made it to the finals," he bravely read on, "Apparently their battle has become the stuff of legends ever since. I'm not sure if I can believe this but both apparently fired blasts of energy at each other and the demon was able to increase its size to enormous. Oh my, I'm afraid this does sound bloody ludicrous. No wonder nobody paid much attention to this report."

"Does it ever say who won this little shindig?" Xander asked curious.

"Goku apparently," Giles said after giving the report another look, "after he and that demon basically ruined the arena. It was so damaged they haven't had one since. Strangely it says here he didn't kill the demon afterwards, he'd just let him go."

"There's a first," Buffy said, "usually its more see demon, slay demon."

"Something I normally wholeheartedly endorse," Xander said, "but in this case not that strange since Giles did say they had this no killing rule. Which would get him disqualified and…., why are you all looking at me like that? I pay attention? Sometimes."

"There's also a report on the Internet," Willow said triumphantly.

"A what?" Giles said surprised and walked over towards Willow.

"An eye witness report," Willow said smug and turned her laptop around, "it seems there was this guy and he went there and saw the whole thing. So he put a report of it on the Internet. It even has some pictures. Look!"

Willow clicked on a link so the others could see it.

"That is some seriously freaky hairdo!" commented Xander as he saw Goku's picture, then he looked at Buffy, "Is that Bel guy anything like it?"

"Not quite," Buffy said, "he looks freaky but not that freaky looking. How on Earth can hair stand sideways like that without industrial strength gel?"

"Magic?" Xander quipped.

"Here's a picture of that demon," Willow said and clicked on another link.

"He is green alright, but most definitely not in a hot Captain Kirk with Orion slave girls kinda green," Xander said.

"He may be green but it seems he shops at the palace of Thousand and One Nights," Buffy commented disparagingly, "also, those shoulder pads, so 80's."

"It said here that they were solid metal and extremely heavy," Willow said.

"Ouch!" Xander said and without thinking reached for his shoulders, "no wonder he's so big and strong. And sour looking."

"Do you know what kind of demon he is, Giles?" Willow asked.

"I'm not sure," Giles frowned uncertain, "I know of only one demon who looks like that but he was much, much older. And that rumor has it that he's dead."

"Maybe there are more of them," Buffy suggested. Giles said nothing but went fumbling some more books of his. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. He put the book he was holding on the table and pointed to a drawing.

"He looks kinda like him," Xander said after looking at both the picture and the drawing in the book, "if you give him a major case of botox."

"If you think away the gnarly old goat look there is some resemblance," Buffy said, "internet green guy looks young, picture green guy looks ancient!"

"Piccolo the demon king," Giles said, sounding almost reverential, "a very nasty piece of pure evil. He is supposed to have killed several Slayers. Rumor has it a martial artist managed to lock him up in a bottle. Another rumor has it that he escaped but was killed several years ago."

"I'm detecting a pattern here" Xander said as he started twirling an imaginary moustache, "a martial artist kind of pattern."

"I think you are right," Giles said as he closed his book, "I think we should be having a nice chat with this mister Belmovekk. Tonight."

x

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x

That evening Giles walked wearily into the cemetery. He had insisted on going first and ordered Buffy and the Scoobies to remain outside, just in case. Which wasn't easy as they were loath to let him go alone in there. If only because there was always a chance of some fledgling vampire to attack. Proving to the group that he was well stacked up in crosses, stakes and holy water Giles finally managed to convince them.

The cemetery itself was as quiet as it should be at night. It seemed utterly deserted. Despite that Giles did keep one hand close to the cross in his jacket. After all, in Sunnydale it paid to be prepared. After some searching Giles did find the crater that used to be the grave of Rick the unfortunate vampire. It was indeed utterly blown to pieces, as if blown from the inside out. Just like Buffy told him. Next he found the other grave, with its slab of stone shattered. Again just like Buffy had said. After finishing his examination Giles looked around. What he was about to do went against every known instinct and thousands of years of experience.

"A-a-are you here?" he called out nervously, "You d-d-did ask for our p-presence."

"That I did," a voice said behind him, causing Giles' heart to almost jump out of his chest. Instinctively reaching for his chest Giles turned around. Where only a second ago there was nothing now sat a man on a nearby grave dressed just like Buffy had described him, with a device over his left eye and ear. He looked most intently at him as if trying to see his soul.

"A-a-are you Belmovekk t-the Saiyan?" Giles asked nervously, his hand now moving from his heart to his coat pocket holding his cross. The man did give off a different kind of vibe. And there were features about him that he now knew signaled that could be construed as…. alien?

"That I most certainly am, good sir" the Saiyan replied formally, "Am I not mistaken in thinking you are the Watcher?"

"I am," Giles said as both he and the Saiyan began sizing each other up.

"Where is the girl, Watcher," the Saiyan asked eventually, "Surely you are not here alone?"

"She's outside," Giles said, trying to sound casually under the piercing gaze of the Saiyan, "I didn't want her to come in before we had a chance to meet."

For a minute neither man said anything.

"I could have killed you, Watcher," the Saiyan finally said, "I am sure the girl has conveyed my misgivings regarding the policies of your group?"

"She did."

"And still you came alone."

"She is in my care, mister Belmovekk," Giles said resolute, "I do what I can but I cannot do everything. I lack her physical skills."

"So you do more then just watch and sent her out to face the demons alone, Watcher?"

"I could never do that, mister Belmovekk," Giles retorted passionate, "please, call me Giles. Like I said, she is in my care. I am a Watcher. Mine is a sacred duty going back thousands of years. As long as there has been the Slayer, there has been a Watcher to help her, guide her. I'd give my life for her if it could make any difference. If I didn't think she could handle it alone I would be by her side all the time."

"A fine speech, mister Giles," the Saiyan said and pulled forth a thermo flask to pour himself a drink in a disposable cup. To Giles' surprise it was tea. And by the smell of it really good tea too.

"Tea?" the Saiyan said and offered Giles the cup.

"Thank you," Giles said as he took the cup and smelled it. More out of curiosity then suspicion. It was a blend he couldn't quite place and when he took a sip the taste was also off. Certainly not one of the blends he was used too. It was still a good one.

"A hot drink in a cold night always goes a long way to warm the heart, as it were," Belmovekk said as he poured a cup for himself.

"True," Giles agreed and took a sip, "If I may be free to ask, what blend is this? I'm a connoisseur of tea and I'm always on the lookout for a new blend."

"You can ask," the Saiyan smiled, "I am not sure the answer is of much use to you. It is a Mallorean blend, from a place called Darshiva. Not of this world as it were."

I'm drinking alien tea, Giles couldn't help but think excitedly as he sipped from his tea, I am in the middle of a graveyard, at night, having alien tea with an actual alien from another planet.

"I suppose you're right," Giles said, "Too bad though, it is a good blend."

"I happen to agree," the Saiyan echoed, sipping from his own cup, "I have always preferred it myself."

Neither man said anything for a while, drinking their tea in silence. Then Belmovekk put down his empty cup.

"So, are you... fond of her?" he asked.

Giles was surprised by that question. He'd never consider it like that. Her independent way of doing things, her snippy remarks, abuse of the English language and her pigheadedness sometimes did make him feel a hundred years older. But then, he had to admit, he had grown quite fond of her. Enough to want to face the Master by himself for her.

"I guess I do," he said eventually," she's a force of nature but losing her would make me feel….., empty. I couldn't imagine not having her around me."

The alien smiled at that and jumped of the grave.

"Good, you do care about her," he said approvingly and put the thermos into a small bag, "that is good. That speaks for your character. That and your taste in tea. Did you have fun digging up the dirt on Goku and his friends?"

If Giles was surprised he didn't show it.

Much.

"You were eavesdropping on us?" he asked wearily.

The Saiyan started to smirk.

"It is always wise to learn more of who you are dealing with. After all I was trained as an infiltrator. But no, I was not eavesdropping on you. But I figured you want try to learn as much about me as you could. And researching Goku and his friends would at least offer you a general baseline as to what I can do."

"I guess so," Giles replied, "What's your interest in Buffy?"

"Curiosity mostly," he said, then tapped the device on his head, " I was in the neighborhood when my scouter went off. I was doing some investigating into this place when it noticed her. She is above most of her kind. That caught my interest as it were."

"She's the Slayer, of course she is," Giles said, as if it explained everything.

"But not by that much, Master Giles," the Saiyan said, then gestured around, "There are powers on this planet who make her almost insignificant."

"This Goku I presume?" Giles asked.

"Very perceptive, Master Giles," the Saiyan continued, "to put it into an perspective you can understand, if Buffy is a bright light in the dark, Goku is a nuclear reactor powering a whole continent. I had to suppress most of my power to almost nothing to bring myself down to her level."

"If she's that insignificant, then why bother with her?" Giles asked curious. He was not sure about the analogy, but the question seemed valid to him.

"Nobody is insignificant, Master Giles," the Saiyan replied, "do not let anybody tell you otherwise. Goku is extraordinary, not because he's immensely strong, but because he is willing to put himself between the people he hardly knows and immense danger without regard. Buffy is similar. It is a quality I have come to admire in other people. Truth be told I have not always been like that myself."

"What were you then?" Giles asked. Buffy had said the Saiyan didn't like what his people had become, but now he wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth.

The Saiyan got up and turned his back to Giles as he looked at the lights of Sunnydale in the distance. Then he looked back over his shoulder.

"For most of my early life I was the very thing this girl has been created for to kill," he said softly, "utterly ruthless and merciless. We Saiyans weren't called the scourge of the universe for nothing."

"And nowadays?"

The Saiyan sighed and then shrugged.

"I try to fight the good fight, Master Giles. It is a promise I made to my Master. And that is why I am offering to help you train your Slayer."

"And why does she need your assistance?" Giles prodded for more answers, "Why aren't you helping your friend Goku instead?"

"Oh, I will," Belmovekk said staring before him, "it's just that he does not need any of my help for the next couple of years."

"Some sort of prophecy?" Giles asked. Over the years he had acquired a sort of sixth sense for the blasted things and this felt like it had prophecy written all over it. Was screaming prophecy in fact even.

"Multiple ones," the Saiyan snorted in disgust, "ones that will bite your head off."

"Can we help?" Giles said, surprising even himself for having said it without thinking.

The Saiyan looked over his shoulder again and smiled.

"Most kind of you to offer, Master Giles, but the way you and your Slayer are now, I do not think so. From what I gather you deal with local issues mostly. Mine are way beyond local.

"We've had our share of bad luck, mister Belmovekk," Giles said defensive, "we're not that incompetent. We may not be as strong as you or that Goku. But we did save the world not so long ago."

"I'm sure you guys did, Master Giles," the Saiyan smiled, "but there is one thing that sets your Slayer apart from me, Goku and his friends."

"And whats that?"

"If I or Goku dies its over. I cannot allow myself to lose. If your Slayer dies some other poor girl will have to bear the brunt instead. If the fight becomes desperate and you have lost too much in the process it can become mighty tempting to pass the fight to somebody else. I suspect that is why most of those girls do not live that long. She has already she said has made it for longer then most. That she feels she is pushing the boundaries of her luck. She needs all the help she can get to become the longest living Slayer ever. I like her, she has spirit and has not let this Slayer thing get to her yet. I would hate to see her go down because she feels its time for somebody else to bear the burden."

Giles couldn't help but agree. Slayers weren't known for their longevity and losing Buffy was a fear that gave him many sleepless nights. Nightmares even.

"So what exactly do you propose?" he asked curious. Upon which the Saiyan turned around.

"I cannot be here all the time, Master Giles, I have other responsibilities. But I pledge to use whatever free time I have to train Buffy in my techniques and abilities. Under ordinary circumstances she is a bit old for this training. Normally Saiyan children start training almost as soon as their mother stops nursing them. But her Slayer abilities will help. By the time I am finished with her she will be able to kick ass with the best, fly on her own power and fire chi blasts that can level mountains. It will greatly enhance her chances of surviving. It will also be a double edged sword however. The more unique she becomes, the greater her responsibility will become. She will no longer have the ability to pass them on to another by dying. For the next Slayer will just be like all the others before her."

"And that is bad because..?" Giles wondered.

"Everything is a doubled edge sword, Master Giles. Even I have found it mighty tempting to think about just giving up from time to time. And I have lived for thousands of years."

"Thousands of years," Giles gasped like a fish on dry land. He knew because Buffy had told him. But hearing it bandied about so casually, it just boggled the mind.

"I look younger then my years, Master Giles," Belmovekk grinned at Giles' reaction, "If we are going to do this though I ask only two things in return, Master Giles."

"And they are?"

I know your watcher organization is a secret society. I request that you do not tell them anything about me or my friends. While I do not mind the hassle, I am sure most of them would. And I know at least one who will be very upset with consequences I cannot guarantee if he ever gets disturbed."

"I can understand that," Giles said and pointed towards where Buffy and the others were, " but I'm sure you can understand if there are any bad consequences for Buffy I have no choice but to inform my superiors."

"Fair enough," the Saiyan shrugged, "you are free to take notes though of the training regime for future use by your organization and pass them on. Just do not mention where you got them from. Make up a nice story that you have met some martial artist."

"And what is the other request?"

"I wish for you to make discrete enquirers about finding a certain scientist named Gero."

x

* * *

x

"What do you think they are talking about?" Willow wondered as they observed the goings on from outside the cemetery. Not that there was much to see from where they stood. Which was basically just seeing two tiny people talk to each other.

"With my luck? They're probably planning my future all the way until after college," Buffy said pacing nervously.

"That wouldn't be so bad, right?" Willow said, "I mean you'd still be alive and…."

Noticing Buffy's stern look Willow stopped.

"I'll just stop talking about the subject we're not supposed to talk about and…., I'll just stop talking about that as well," Willow said, pretending to pull a zipper over her mouth.

"I say he's evil," Xander said, trying to change the subject, "let's slay the bastard, just to be sure."

"I don't think he's slayable, Xan," Buffy said, thinking of her previous night's fight with him.

"You defeated the master, Buff," Xander said trying to sound encouragingly, "you kicked Spike's ass, what's one alien to you?"

"Hello, elephant vs. mosquito here," Buffy objected, "with me being the mosquito. Besides, he doesn't feel evil. Strange, yes, evil no."

"Well he does look like it," Xander huffed indignant, "look at his tattoo's."

"But there are some very nice people with tattoo's," Willow interjected.

"And they drive big bikes, Wills," Xander replied to his best friend, "really big loud bikes, selling dope to children, they give normal policemen the wiggins and the SDPD's keystone cops another handy euphemism to explain away vampire attacks."

"Euphemism, Xan?" Buffy asked, looking weird at Xander.

"My new word of the day, Buff," Xander replied then quickly changed the subject, "ah, it would appear that the G-man has reached an understanding with biker boy. I think he wants us to come."

In the distance Giles could be seen waving at them to come.

"That's the Bat Signal I guess," Buffy said and they began to walk towards Giles.

"We should really get a Bat Signal though," Xander said pretending to mull it over, "A Buffy Signal. But what shape should it be?"

"There's no way I'm going to let Giles call me to action by pointing a bat shaped spotlight into the sky," Buffy said.

"That's why I called it the Buffy Signal and not the Bat Signal," Xander said in defense of his idea, "so what kind of symbol would define the Buffster?"

"A stake?" Willow suggested.

"Could be," Xander shrugged, "but then it's too thin. It might disappear into the lightbeam."

"An oval with two pointy teeth?" Willow smiled and put two fingers to her mouth to pretend that she had two fangs.

"Could be," Xander echoed, "It's got potential. But then again it is kinda reminiscent of the Bat Signal as done by Tim Burton. We need something different altogether. Maybe a pair of high heels, knowing the Buffster's preference for the latest in shoe fashion?"

"I can't believe I'm having this conversation," Buffy said shaking her head in dejection.

"But Buffy," Willow protested, "surely you could use a signal that tells you when you're needed and stuff?"

"Sure," Buffy agreed, "but here's a thing neither of you two geniuses came up with, if Giles needs to contact me, why not have Giles buy me a cell phone?"

Xander and Willow looked at each other.

"She's got a point, Xander," Willow said.

"Bah," Xander said shaking his head in disapproval, "it's vulgar. There is no style. Surely a stylish person like the Buffster would like to have a signal that has some sense of style as well?"

"She would also like to have a stylish cell phone," Buffy said, extending her index and pinky fingers, pretending her hand was a phone.

"Yeah, but that would mean Giles would also be able to call on you whenever it's…., not of the opportune? Say you're having a hot date with a hot guy and you're about to lock lips, phasers on full stun and suddenly Giles calls with an emergency. End of date, end of hot guy, hello army of marauding vampires."

"You got a point," Buffy nodded.

"At least with a kinda Bat Signal you would have plausible deniability of having been somewhere you couldn't see it," Xander said.

"Then what would be the point?" Willow asked.

"To have a sense of style of course," Xander said enthusiastically.

Meanwhile they had arrived with Giles, who was standing not far from the Saiyan.

"Hello, Buffy," Giles said, "What were you guys talking about?"

"Believe it or not my own Bat Signal," Buffy said, causing Giles to frown a surprised frown, "Don't ask."

"I don't intend too," Giles replied stoic.

"Ah, young lady, so nice to meet you again," the Saiyan smiled at her, arms folded across his chest, "these are your friends?"

"Yep, this here is my Xander shaped friend Xander and this is my Willow shaped friend Willow," she said introducing her friends. Xander for once refrained from making any remarks and said nothing as he wearily assessed the Saiyan. Willow meanwhile was too taken aback to say anything. The Saiyan himself just nodded but didn't offer his hand, only tapped the device on his left ear.

"And you guys help her to fight evil?" he said eventually, "I am impressed."

Somehow he was able to sound both impressed and sarcastic at the same time.

"Buffy," Giles said, "Belmovekk and I have talked and reached an understanding. I believe his intentions to be good and he has offered to give you additional training to enhance your fighting skills."

"So you're going to teach her in the ways of the Force then?" Xander said making his first wisecrack.

The alien didn't laugh, he just stared at Xander like he had said something in Mandarine.

"Just a joke man," Xander said defensively, "no need to go Darth Vader on me!"

"Must be another cultural reference I am not familiar with," the Saiyan said and shook his head.

"Welcome to my world," Giles said rolling his eyes, "at times they drive me nuts."

"Don't worry, Belmo," Buffy said, "If you are going to train me, you'll get to know every little pop culture joke there is."

"There will be absolutely no escaping it," Giles muttered softly under his breath.

"Belmo?" Xander said, raising an eyebrow looking at Buffy.

"So, you're really an alien then?" Willow asked the Saiyan.

"I guess," he replied, "although from my perspective it is you of course who is the aliens."

"I'm an alien, you're an alien, we're all aliens really," Xander said pointing at everyone, "Maybe we should all join some kind of alien club and make a badge or something. Maybe some kind of…"

"Xander, if the next words you're going to say include in any way the words bat and signal, I'm going to give you some private martial arts lessons of my own," Buffy said, "one that includes you becoming an object lesson."

"Object lessons are usually those things where someone in the class gets used as an example, right?" Xander asked wearily.

"The same," Buffy said icy.

"I get the message," Xander said and pretended to draw a zipper across his mouth.

"So now that we are all friends when are we going to start?" Buffy asked as she turned towards the Saiyan.

"Oh, I'll start tonight if you're ready, young lady," the Saiyan said, "but first I must ask you something, do you wish for me to train you?"

The question baffled Buffy.

"I thought you wanted to train me?" she asked surprised, "Yesterday you were all about helping me?"

"Oh, I have every intention in helping you, young lady," Belmovekk said, "but as a certain Tolnedran saying goes, no gift is ever free of sorrow. By accepting my training you will probably become the strongest and longest living Slayer in history. But it will also greatly increase your responsibilities. The greater the power, the more people will come to you for aid. It means you will no longer have an easy way out because if you do not rise to the occasion, nobody else can."

For once Xander didn't feel the need the unleash a zinger. He could see that Buffy and Willow couldn't quite yet understand what the Saiyan was saying but in a moment of perfect clarity he could. There would be no way back from now on. This was a crossroads moment. And part of him wished that Buffy would decline.

"I'll accept," Buffy said.

"I will have full say in your training, young lady. My word is final in this affair. Do you understand that? As far as training is concerned when I say jump, you only say how high."

"I get it. You're the sensei, I'm the grasshopper," Buffy replied, "and could you please call me Buffy?"

"Not a chance in the world, young lady," Belmovekk said, "And the correct term is Satiya. Which means revered teacher in my language. Lets get started."

"What? Right now?" Buffy asked, "what about patrolling? Don't you need to asses me in action or something?"

"Why? I saw you last night? As for your inefficient patrolling needs, let me take care of that. In fact this will be your first lesson so you can understand somewhat of the powers you can expect to wield," the Saiyan said and tossed Buffy his scouting device.

As she caught it she studied the device. It was undeniably more advanced then anything she had seen on Earth yet at the same time it looked ancient.

"What do I do with it?" she asked uncertain.

"Just mount it like I did," the Saiyan replied.

She did as asked.

"Ugh, its all warm and sweaty inside," she said as she put it on.

"Do not be squeamish, girl," Belmovekk snorted disapprovingly, "be lucky you are not back on planet Vegeta. My teachers would have whipped the flesh of your back for such a remark. "

"For goodness sake, you're not going to whip her?" objected Giles somewhat shaken.

"Off course not," Belmovekk said and pointed at her, "look at her, pouting those lips and those puppy eyes. She's just messing with us with all the weapons in her arsenal. I could never whip her."

Then he looked at Xander and a smirk appeared.

"The boy on the other hand, just say the word and I'll flail him instead," the Saiyan smirked.

"Hey," objected Xander as he pointed to himself, "I'm not going to be the whipping boy!"

"Nobody's going to whip my Xander shaped friend," Buffy said and put her arm protectively around Xander. To her surprise Xander winced.

"Well thanks Buff, now that you just shredded my masculinity by trying to protect me I'd wish he had whipped the flesh of my bones."

"Males and their stupid pride," Buffy muttered as she let go, "suit yourself. Don't come crying to me when your skin splatters all over the place."

"There will be no whipping, so everybody relax," the Saiyan said, "young lady, now that you wear the scouter, have a look at your friends and press that button there. I have calibrated it for your script."

Buffy did as told and looked at Xander and pressed the button on the device. The number 8 appeared in the viewfinder.

"Hey, Xander, it said here you are an 8," she said excited.

"Is that good or bad?" Xander asked to the Saiyan.

"What the scouter senses is the lifeforce of a person, young man," the Saiyan explained, "The harder you train your exercises, the greater your life force will become. Your life force can be manipulated to passively increase your combat effectiveness or offensively through the use of energy attacks."

"How does that work?" Willow asked interested.

"Living beings generate tiny electric fields, young lady. Most do not need much for daily life. By increasing your life force your body becomes able to generate greater fields of energy. You can tap into that power and draw it out in order to manipulate it."

"So what does 8 mean?" Xander asked.

"Short answer, the scouter measures your life force and gives it an index number. From what I've measured the average human seems to have a powerlevel of 5," the Saiyan said.

"So 8 would be very good then?" the young man said looking mighty pleased with himself. The Saiyan just shrugged.

"What about me, Buffy?" Willow said excited, "what about me?

"It said you're 21, Will," Buffy nodded impressed.

"Cool!" Willow exclaimed, much to Xander's chagrin.

"No! Not cool," Xander yelled suddenly very deflated, "how can she be 21 and I'm just an 8. I know for a fact that I'm stronger then Willow. Sorry Wills."

"No offense taken, Xander," Willow smiled and shrugged, "but what can I say? Technology doesn't lie!"

"Sometimes a higher powerlevel does not always translate into greater physical strength," the Saiyan said intrigued, "it is about the strength of your lifeforce. It is not unheard of in untrained fighters, although it is not that common either. In general when you are facing a trained fighter the assigned index is usually a reliable indication of his actual strength as well. Unless they are very good fighters. In which case they can suppress their levels and look weaker then they appear. I will teach you this skill also."

"Major badness," the young man said deflated.

"I'm sorry, Xan," Willow said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Fate just craps again on me," Xander moaned dejected.

"Hey, Giles," Buffy said as she checked out her watcher, "you're an 18!"

Xander groaned even harder. Even Giles now. This was shaping up to be the bane of his life, to be the most useless member of this group.

"I wonder what I am," Buffy said.

"112," the Saiyan said casually, making Xander groan even more, "you maxed out during our fight last night at 112. I suspect that when your life is really on the line you could go up to 120."

"Well, she is the Slayer," Giles said, feeling slightly proud of his Slayer.

"Thats a whole extra Xander shaped friend," Buffy said teasing Xander, "now, let's see how mister Saiyan shapes up and…. Whoaa!"

"What is it Buff," Xander asked fearing the worst, "even more to make me feel less then the man I'm already are?"

"See for yourself," she said and handed him the scouter, "major case of overly!"

The Saiyan just smirked as Xander mounted the device and started pressing the button on people. Giles was indeed at 18, Willow at 21.

"Hey Buff, your at 98 right now," he said.

"I thought you said I was 112," she asked the Saiyan, "I like being a 112. 112 is way better then 98.

"98 must be more like your normal condition, young lady," Belmovekk said, "apparently you naturally suppress some of your strength while there is no danger. Rest assured, if I say you maxed at 112 you are a 112. Besides, it is hardly useful to go through life maxed out. It can be stressful to the body. Let alone to your surroundings. Imagine breaking everything you pick up because your maxed out."

"I remember having that at first," Buffy said, "everything I tried to pick up broke."

"Exactly! Which is why I always suppress my own strength to more manageable proportions. One has to blend in you know. Besides, it pays to keep something in reserve. To make your enemy think you are weaker so you can surprise him when he least expect it."

"Ah, fuck! I so hate my life," Xander said, giving the scouter to Willow after checking out the Saiyan, "I can live being the weakest, but by so much?"

"What is it Xan," she asked.

"Just look at the man," Xander said. Willow put on the device and looked at the Saiyan.

"Oh," was all she said, giving it to Giles.

"Now I'm getting really curious," Giles said and looked at the Saiyan. To his surprise the scouter indicated 10.000.

"10.000! My goodness!" Giles said horrified, "I see what you mean."

"And that is probably suppressed," Xander said, "for all we know he could max at a million. Please don't tell me that's your max. You'd make me feel really inadequate that way."

The Saiyan just smirked but indicated that he'd like the device back.

"Oh, of course, " Giles said and handed it back. The Saiyan took the device and mounted it back to his left ear and started to press another button.

"Excuse me while I ensure that nobody is going to bother us for the rest of the night." he said. The Saiyan cupped his hands together in front of him and started to concentrate. His breathing increased and suddenly the air started to move around him. It increased in strength when suddenly white flames erupted around him and winds started to blow.

"He's on fire," Xander said as he and the others stepped back.

"No, i-i-its not it," Giles said, "its energy, a visible manifestation of his power. If we still had the device we would probably see a much increased powerlevel."

"Guys," Willow said as she tried to hang on to a gravestone, "I'm almost being blown away here."

Suddenly the Saiyan raised his hands in the air and unleashed a beam of energy that went straight into the air, disappearing into the clouds over Sunnydale. Then the Saiyan relaxed and his white flame aura disappeared.

"Now that was anti-climatic," Buffy said. The Saiyan just started to smirk again.

Suddenly it rained beams of energy on every cemetery in the Sunnydale urban area, all striking every grave. It didn't destroy them but it did penetrate small holes into every grave. Within seconds smoke started to come from every grave.

"What did you just do," Giles asked.

"I made sure there would be no new arrivals this evening, Master Giles," the Saiyan smirked as he folded his arms across his chest again, "I hit every grave in this area with enough energy to incinerate every body inside."

"Then the smoke."

"Corpsicle barbecue," Xander smiled, he liked the idea already, "guaranteed to ruin the day of every fledgling. Cool!"

"Poor dead people," Willow said sadly as she examined a grave with a small smoking hole, "cooked in their own graves."

"Why?" the Saiyan asked surprised, "they are dead already! It is not as if they were going to rise again. And if they did they would not be themselves anyway."

The Saiyan smacked his hands together, then rubbing them in glee.

"Now, shall we get really started?"

"Can you teach me also?" Xander suddenly asked.

"What?" Buffy asked flabbergasted, "Why? Is this about us teasing you you're an 8? We like you being an 8. You're my 8. You should leave this to me. This is my…."

"Buff," Xander said holding up a hand to stop her from talking, "This is not about me having a small penis. Well, maybe a tiny part of it is. And that came out completely wrong as well. Let me start again. This is my choice. This is what I want to do. You know I'm never going to sit out any of your fights anyway. At least this way…. I'll be actually of some use to you. Then you no longer have to worry about me."

Buffy looked like she wanted to protest, but she could see Xander had on his resolve face. Then she looked at the Saiyan. In a flash she saw that whatever training he was going to inflict on them, it was probably going to be brutal. There was no way Xander was going to last beyond a week at best. And at worst, if he actually learned some moves that could help him, then maybe she wouldn't have to worry so much come their next fight.

Meanwhile the Saiyan raised an eyebrow, then he smiled.

"You're welcome if you want to," he asked.

"Can you at least make me an 80?" Xander asked pleadingly, "I'm not asking for a miracle, but I'm sick of being everybody's buttmonkey."

"I have absolutely no idea what a buttmonkey is, young man," Belmovekk said but from Xander's look he could do a fair estimation, "to be honest, I think you lack the aptitude of Buffy here. So don't expect to ever get near her level."

Xander looked rather depressed at that remark. The Saiyan put his hand on Xander's shoulder.

"Do not hold up your hopes to high, young man. What is, is! Do not dwell on what can never be. Still, not all hope is lost. She is in a league of her own. For all we know as a regular human you may be above standard. I think with enough time and training I can train you to be an 800 at the very least."

Xander's face shone like a thousand stars.

"Yes! No more buttmonkey!"

Xander's happiness caused the Saiyan to smile. Then he remembered something.

"First some other things before I forget. Does anyone know of a good secluded spot were we can practice in future," the Saiyan asked, "preferably not too close to town?"

"Hanscom park, " Buffy said and pointed to the other side of town, "less graves. Lots of vamp nests though, that is why nobody ever comes there after dark."

"Good, tomorrow evening we will go there," Belmovekk said, "I will kill the critters so we can have our work outs in peace. Now, back to business . If either Master Giles or the other young lady wishes to participate as well, just say the word."

"No thanks," they said as they seated themselves on a grave, "we'll just watch."

Belmovekk shrugged and then gestured Buffy and Xander to follow him to a more open spot in the cemetery.

"OK, Buffy and what was it again, Xander right? Good. First some basic rules, then we are going to do some warming up. And then we'll start with the basic Saiyan chi kata. All Saiyan four year olds start with this. It will hurt like hell tomorrow so be sure to put some painkillers beside your bed. Otherwise you will not be able to get out of bed."

"Now, I expect diligent adherence to whatever training regime I specify. There will be no excuses or pouting to get out of training or not doing any of the exercises. Besides me only Master Giles or a crisis can give you an excuse to skip training. If I learn you have been slacking off I will put you through so much forms of hell you will wish you had walked out the gates this evening and said no to my offer."

"Oh, suppose I have a hot date waiting at the Bronze?" Buffy asked.

"Then you will have to go after training or reschedule your date, young lady. In your case the literal truth is that training is life. Your life. There can be no hot dates once you are dead."

This answer was not to Buffy's liking so she unleashed her pouting.

"Yes, but what if cute guys, nice time, smoochies?"

"In which case, push ups, many, vomiting," Belmovekk said unimpressed, "now, you will at least train with me about every day, because your bodies need that day off to rest. Later when they become more used to the training I will alternate between more intense workouts and lighter more technical oriented training. When I am not around, which will undoubtedly be often, Master Giles will supervise your training according to whatever schedule I set. In which case his word is like mine, the word of God!"

"Now, boy and girl, is that clear?"

Buffy and Xander nodded.

"OK! Now that we have the ground rules settled we can really begin."

The Saiyan assumed a straight position towards a certain point in the heavens, clenching his fists while crossing his arms in front of his chest. Then he dropped on one knee to the ground and touched the ground with his fists and said something in a language no one could understand.

"OK, warm up time," he said afterwards, "welcome to my house of pain, boy and girl."

x

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x

AN 2017 _Not as much rewriting with the previous chapter. I've added a few more personal moments, like Giles and Belmo having some tea, I'm still not quite satisfied though. Still art abandoned is art finished, right?_


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

 **'Aches and pains'**

x

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AN: _A short chapter, way too short IMHO to be a chapter. But the one after this got so out of hand, copy/pasting it on would make it even bigger. So shortie today, biggie tomorrow.  
_

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x

"I want to die," Xander groaned the next day as he dropped down in a chair in the school's library, "I hurt in places I never knew. I think I hurt in places I don't even have."

"I have to agree," Buffy said dropping down in a chair as well, "even I hurt. Although probably not as much as you, Xander. I hope you don't feel as terrible as you look."

"Much, much worse Buff," Xander replied with gritted teeth as he straightened one of his legs, "be very, very glad for your Slayer strengths."

"Hey, you wanted it, Xan," Buffy said with mock sympathy, "You got it. Be careful what you wish for. What were you thinking?"

"I thought of that myself throughout the night," admitted Xander as he straightened another leg, "especially when I woke up and even reaching for the painkillers was a whole new glorious adventure in pain and torment. Ah, that's better."

"I have to say, it was most fascinating to watch you three," Giles said excited as he was still busy writing down his notes from last night, "I know there are some Earth martial arts which are meant to improve your life energies."

"Like that tai chi you always make me do?" Buffy said leaning over backwards in her chair.

"Exactly, Buffy," Giles said, then he stopped writing, put his pen to his lips as he began to think out loud, "But this is way more advanced. It makes tai chi look like child's play. If the council would adopt these techniques for potentials at an early age it would revolutionize future Slayers. Before a girl is called she could potentially already have near Slayer power."

"I think he's very excited," Xander said, barely able to look over his shoulder, "look at his nose, its absolutely twitching."

"Absolutely," Buffy smiled, "potential Giles overload!"

"I'm writing down Belmovekk's instructions in order to create a new Slayer training manual," Giles said, oblivious to all comments.

"You know," Buffy said leaning over to Xander, "if he keeps this up he's going to need clean underwear."

"Please Buff, have some mercy," Xander winced as he groaned, "I hurt when I laugh."

At that moment Willow entered the library and moved on to the painful duo.

"So, how are my big strong Xander and Buffy doing?"

"Exploring the wonderful and exciting world of pain with a hefty side dish of torment," Xander replied, "I wish I was dead but I fear that Saiyan was so thorough I'd still feel pain in my grave."

"Don't say things like that," Willow said in mock outrage, "you're on the Hellmouth, remember?"

"I can't think straight, Will," Xander said apologetic, "its the pain talking."

"Didn't you take the painkillers?" Willow asked concerned.

"Up to the maximum allowed dosage and then some extra for good measure," Xander smiled with a big grin that quickly faded to mock horror, "and it's still not enough.

"That's not very responsible, Xander," Giles remarked.

"No, but you didn't go through military boot camp on steroids last night. So don't begrudge me my Scooby snacks."

Before Giles could make another reply the doors to the Library opened and in walked Belmovekk.

"Giles," Xander said, "it may be my Scooby snacks but I think our new alien friend just walked in."

"I see him too," Willow said, "Guess he's not a pain induced hallucination."

"Maybe my pain is so great it transcends personal boundaries and transcends the whole room instead?" Xander countered.

"I don't think so, Tim," Buffy said and braved her own pain to pat Xander on the shoulder.

"So how are my new pupils doing," the Saiyan asked as he walked up to he painful duo.

"Let me give you a list," Xander said, "auw, auw and I raise you even more auw?"

"Lots of pain then I guess?" the Saiyan said with an evil grin, "That is to be expected. Especially the first time. How about you, young lady?"

"Big on the pain but I can manage it. It's already not as bad as when I woke up."

"I suspected as much," the Saiyan nodded, "you did say you got improved healing skills."

"Not fast enough if you ask me," Buffy commented. The impossible had happened. Ever since she had become the Slayer muscle ache from training had become but a memory. Her previous watcher had put her through her paces in ways unimaginable but she had never hurt. Some of Giles' exercises had been equally grueling but not exhausting. Yet now she was aching like she had never done a moments of exercise in her life.

"How come my body aches?" she asked, "I train all the time but I never ached before?"

"The purpose of your training must have been to increase you combat efficiency," Belmovekk theorized, "to improve your skills so you could do more with what you have. A worthy goal. These exercises however are geared towards increasing your strength and lifeforce. So you can do more because you will have more."

"I don't feel like I can do more with more," Xander groaned, "I feel like doing less with less."

"Let me have a look," the Saiyan said and showed little gentleness as he pulled up the sleeves of Xander pants and shirt, paying no head to Xander's protests. Then he started to feel around, causing more protests.

"You are all tensed up," he finally said.

"Tell me something I don't know," Xander said through gritted teeth, "oh, and by the way, your bedside manners stink."

"Forgive me, young man," Belmovekk apologized, "I am just not used to training your particular species. Let me help you, I know some Saiyan massage techniques that will relieve you of your pain. If you were to remove your shirt and pants I will give you a rubdown."

Xander shook his head.

"Even though I feel like I'm being skewered with hot needles, that _so_ does not sound very appetizing," he said.

The Saiyan looked puzzled.

"What? Do you not wish to be relieved of your muscle pain," he asked curious.

"Yeah," Xander admitted, "but not while being handled by a man wearing only my briefs when anybody can walk in."

When Belmovekk still looked puzzled Buffy stepped in. Figuratively of course because she didn't feel like stepping much.

"What Xander means is that he fears for his reputation of manliness," Buffy grinned, "this is a public space after all."

"What has that got to do with a massage?" Belmovekk asked, "Do they no give massages on this world?"

"They do, but not in public libraries," Buffy said.

"Oh for the love of the Gods," the Saiyan muttered and pointed his hand at the door, giving a slight grunt.

"There, nobody can come in," he said, "I erected a forcefield. Now take off your clothes and get on that table."

Then the Saiyan started to smirk evilly.

"On the table, buttmonkey!"

Buffy and Willow nearly fell on the floor laughing and even Giles could hardly suppress a laughter.

"I so hate my life," Xander muttered.

x

* * *

x

His complaints quickly ceased during and after the massage.

"This is amazing," he said much relieved, "It is like its almost gone away."

"Feeling better, Xan?" Buffy asked, having watched every moment of the massage.

"You have no idea, Buffy," Xander said as he hurriedly put his clothes back on, "I'm officially downgrading pain level alert from hot penetrating meat skewers to dull pricking forks."

"That good then?" Buffy asked impressed.

"You have no idea," Xander said as finished his clothes and started to pose like a body builder to prove the effects.

"Your turn, young lady," the Saiyan said and gestured to the table.

"I'd rather not do it here," Buffy said hesitantly.

Belmovekk sighed and rolled his eyes upwards.

"What is it with this world?" he exclaimed in frustration, "they all act as prudish maidens, especially the girls, yet they all dress cheaper then Marag harlots? Strip and get your ass on the table, young lady. I have not lived for 4000 years without having fulfilled my quorum of lust or seeing my share of nubile naked young ladies. Nothing I have not seen before. I promise not to enjoy it. Much. Besides, my word as Satiya is law, remember?"

"OK, but you guys better not watch," Buffy said to the other men in the library.

"Ah, come on, Buff," protested Xander trying to suppress a big smile, "you got to see me undressed!"

"Yeah, but I'm not a hormonally driven teenage male," Buffy said deadpan and made a spinning motion with her hand, "Turn around, read a book or something. Don't we have some research mode to do on Spike?"

Sighing Xander turned around, discretely trying to get a glimpse through the reflection in the window. Giles of course was courteous enough to immerse himself in working out his notes.

"And no looking through the reflections in the windows," Buffy said, soliciting further sighs from Xander.

"Now, you may not feel as much pain as your friend Xander," the Saiyan said, "but its still there, all tensed up. I think it is better if I move tomorrows training up a day to give you two more rest. I have to put you through your paces again to get better, not worse."

"I have to say, this does feel good," Buffy admitted when the Saiyan unleashed his massage magic.

"Of course it does, young lady, that is what it is meant for."

"Are you really 4000 years old?" Willow asked.

"Yes, young lady, sometimes I even feel like 4000 years as well. I am glad though that I do not look the part. Belgarath is even older, 7000 years. And he does look the part."

"That's a lot of birthday candles," Willow replied.

Belmovekk shrugged indifferent.

"After a while you just stop counting."

"Or you could make one candle count as ten instead," suggested Willow.

"Or you could do that," the Saiyan smiled.

"I'm curious," Giles asked from behind his book, "that routine you did just before starting the exercise, what was it about?"

"We take our martial arts very serious, Master Giles," the Saiyan answered as he worked Buffy's legs, "like all the arts it is a creative process and in that respect divine. There are even Saiyan forms of martial arts whose only purpose is to become one with the divine."

"T-that sounds very similar to many Eastern martial arts disciplines, Giles replied, "this is most interesting."

"Because we believe that our martial arts derive from the divine no Saiyan instructor will ever begin training without first assuming a position of respect towards the home of the Gods, Mount Selyesna. Then he or she must bless the training ground for the duration of the training by invoking the blessing of the Goddess of War. To forgo this would mean incurring her wrath and severe bad luck."

"Fascinating," Giles concurred, making an additional note.

"We can't piss off the divine, can we?" Xander said standing in front of the window looking outside, "This is the Hellmouth after all."

"Xander, quit peeking," Buffy yelled as she caught Xander peering a bit to much to her taste into a certain window reflection.

"Sorry," Xander said as he shifted his stance.

"Still," Giles said, "if your planet is gone, is there any real significance to this ritual, especially now that your homeworld is destroyed?"

Belmovekk paused his massaging for a moment to think it over.

"Gods are funny creatures," he said as he resumed massaging, "if there is one thing I learned about Gods after 4000 years of serving my Master is that they do not always inhabit the same sphere of existence as we do. Planet Vegeta may be gone, it does not stand to follow that the Saiyan Gods are gone too. For 4000 years I have observed the ritual. I have every intention to continue. In fact since you will oversee their training in my absence you yourself must perform the ritual."

"For 4000 years, does your kind live for that long?" Giles asked.

"I ceased aging the day I became a sorcerer, Master Giles"

"A sorcerer?" Giles exclaimed

"That is how I can do certain things," Belmovekk said as he moved to Buffy's arms, "Although to be honest I was never really good at it. Nothing like my brothers. But I do the minimum and I can sense other practitioners. Or when somebody does a clumsy spell. And of course I can create things. Things that I know well at least."

"Do you use magic for that?" Giles asked.

The Saiyan huffed derisively.

"Magic is for beginners, Master Giles. It is borrowed power. Sorcerers do not need magic spells, amulets, herbs or borrowed power. True sorcery comes within. You think of something that you want it to happen and then you will it to happen. It is sort of similar to what I am training the youngsters here for. Chi fighting basically pumps up one's life force in order to use it in combat. A sorcerer however tries to increase his willpower in order to manipulate the material world. You do not need to be physically strong to be a sorcerer. All you need to do is to gather your will and unleash it through a word. That's why Belgarath calls it the will and the word. Smart guy, not so good with making cool names though."

"Seems more easy," Buffy said, "just say die to the baddies, baddies die."

Belmovekk stopped again as if she had said the dumbest thing.

"On the contrary, young lady, you need to be extra careful. While it is safe to unleash your lifeforce and blast an enemy to pieces you have to be extremely careful using sorcery. You cannot just say die, you must be specific. The most dangerous thing to do is to say be not and so unmake something. The universe will not allow it. It will allow a sorcerer to create something form nothing but not to unmake something into nothing. Anyone trying to do that would be unmade himself. In the heat of battle you can say many stupid things. It would not do well to say the very thing that would destroy you yourself."

"I get it, no saying bad things, just blasting bad things," she said, then she noticed something, "Xander, quit looking!"

"Sorry Buff, I'm trying," Xander said as he again shifted space, "bad hormones, bad hormones!"

"Belgarath always said that if you want to make sure you kill somebody it is infinitely better to stick a sword into said somebody," Belmovekk smiled as he resumed his massage, "less messy. Or more, depending on where you stick it, right?"

"As long as they don't bleed on me, I don't generally care," Buffy said, "you should become a professional masseur, Belmo. Can't we get him a job as the school masseur, Giles?"

"I could make some inquires, if you'd like, Belmovekk," Giles suggested, "it would provide you with a job and a good cover."

"Tempting," the Saiyan said as he thought it over, "but I can't be here all the time. There, finished, young lady, you can get dressed."

Buffy got up and moved her arms. The pain was almost totally gone.

"Thanks, I feel like new again, You sure don't want to become the school masseur? You'll have a fixed income and I could so get used to this."

"I have other business to attend to, young lady," Belmovekk smiled, "and being a sorcerer has its advantages. I can always create stuff."

The Saiyan stretched out his hand above the table and out of nowhere gold coins started to fall out of nowhere on the table."

"Giles, he can create gold! That is so cool," Willow exclaimed excited.

"Hello, yellowy goodness," Xander said as he moved closer and started to drool looking at the money.

"Momma needs a new pair of shoes," Buffy said gazing equally hungry.

"Now you've done it," Giles said shaking his heads, "you do realize they are Americans, right? They worship at the altar of the almighty dollar."

"They do?" Belmovekk said surprised raising an eyebrow, "How very Tolnedran of them."

Giles also came to the table and examined the gold.

"There's a rumor at Watcher Central that Alan Greenspan sacrifices a virgin once a year at the Federal Reserve to keep the economy from collapsing," Giles said as he examined a gold coin. It has the depiction of a bull on one side and some unknown script that looked vaguely Roman on the other.

"They do? What a weird world," the Saiyan said, and gestured towards the gold, "If you want you kids can have one of each. Do not spend it all at once. Oh, before I forget."

And with that the Saiyan conjured up a series of ankle and arm bracelets.

"Young man, young lady, I want you to start wearing these around your arms and legs."

"Do we need jewelry now to wear into battle?" Buffy asked.

"No, try lifting them," Belmovekk said as he put them on the table, "these are for you and these for Xander."

Xander tried to lift one of his bracelets.

"You must be kidding, right?" he said shocked, "These must way 10 pounds each!"

"That's the whole point, young man. Through my training and by constantly wearing these weights your body will be forced to adapt to these new conditions. Once you get used to constantly moving and training in them it will help you to reach a new level of chi power far quicker then just mere exercise. I am sure that when you found those nice images on the data sphere you probably noticed how absurd Piccolo's shoulder pieces look. It so happens how ever that they weigh up to 10 tons these days."

"Ten tons?" Xander exclaimed and let his bracelet drop to the floor.

"And he only ever takes them off when the fight is going really bad," Belmovekk smiled.

"Ten tons," Xander muttered speechless.

"Mine don't weigh 10 pounds," Buffy said as she picked up one, "they must weigh at least five times as much!"

"Well you are the Slayer, you can handle more," the Saiyan said smirking, "to each his own. Now, I will take my absence and I will see you guys tomorrow."

"Before you go could you please open the door," Willow asked and pointed to the door, "we have to go to class and the forcefield seems to be still up."

"I almost forget," the Saiyan said and made an opening gesture. Nothing visible changed.

"Be seeing you," he said and walked out of the back door. No sooner had he done when the doors opened again and Cordelia barged in.

"What is it with the closed doors?" she said angrily, only then to have her jaw hit the floor as she saw what was on the table, "Hey, is that gold?"

x

* * *

x

AN 2017: _Basically the same, the only thing I changed was remove Belmo's shape shifting. It's not something I had him do in later stories so I thought why bother keeping it._


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

 **'Halloween'**

x

x

AN: _Originally I wasn't planning on doing a Halloween story. It has been done to death. So it basically was just Xander and Belmo talking, cut to the aftermath. But that turned out a bit short. When I had basically wrapped up the rest of the story I returned to this chapter, inspiration hit and I decided, why not?_

x

* * *

x

"Is there a problem, young man?"

Having been lost in his thoughts Xander looked up and noticed the Saiyan looking at him. Xander had been sitting alone in broad daylight in Sunnydale's central park, across Town Hall and Main Street. Unlike some he preferred to do his brooding in daylight. And knowing what he did from Sunnydale it was also far healthier as well.

"Hey, you're back," Xander replied and cracked a weak smile. The Saiyan had been gone for a while and this was the first time in three weeks that he had showed his face.

"I have been here since yesterday evening," Belmovekk grinned, "it has been a grueling set of weeks. Traveling across this interesting world. I made some new allies in my search for Gero, I even managed to sneak in a week of training with Goku."

"Good for you," Xander said flat, then he looked the Saiyan right in the eye, "if you were here last night, how come you didn't come by earlier?"

"Well, you try doing that after flying over that damn great ocean," Belmovekk said and nodded to the Pacific not far from here, "all I could think of was sleep. Besides, things seemed quiet."

Xander mulled it over for a minute. Then something fell into place.

"Why did you ask if I had a problem? What makes you think I even have a problem, B-man?"

"The way you sit, young man? The way you looked?" the Saiyan shrugged, "4000 years of experience reading human emotions. So, go ahead and tell me. For this afternoon I am all yours."

Xander didn't answer outright, as if still in doubt whether to spill the beans or not. The Saiyan didn't press on and just sat down next to him.

"You know, young man," he said as he looked around the square, "it really always is a nice day out here! Every day the sun shines. A great day to enjoy it with others. Yet nobody here seems to appreciate it. Nobody takes some time out to sit back and think, by the Gods, it is good to be alive. Everybody somehow has stuff to do that seems very important but never really is. Big city people are basically all alike throughout the universe. They are all to busy worshiping the same stern and demanding God!."

"Which is," Xander asked.

"Money."

Xander mulled it over for a while and chuckled.

"The root of all evil," he agreed, "you are right. It really is a nice day. To bad there is school to go too or bills to pay."

"For what?" the Saiyan said and pointed to a luxury Mercedes passing by, "I have seen a thousand times on a thousand worlds. Most of the things people desire and slave for is in the end useless. All you need is a roof to sleep under, a good meal and some friends and loved ones to share it with."

"Never figured you for a Ghandi," Xander said," Although I doubt you'll pull off the loincloth look like he did."

"Who?" the Saiyan asked to which Xander shook his head.

"Never mind," he said and resumed staring ahead.

"It really is a beautiful day," he finally said.

"That it is," Belmovekk said and fumbled into a box next to him.

"Cookie?" he said holding out a chocolate chip cookie towards Xander.

"Are those the fabled chocolate chip cookies that Buffy mentioned and that she would kill for to have again?" Xander said as his eyes grew a little bigger.

"It could be," the Saiyan said, "I did offer them to Buffy in the cemetery."

"Don't mind if I do," Xander said and grabbed the cookie, then bit in them and closed his eyes in mindless bliss, "Oh yeah, sugary goodness. You're right. Most of the things in life you don't need. This however, this you need."

"Happiness is always found in the smaller things in life," Belmovekk said and began nibbling on a cookie as well, "Usually most of them are found in the pantry of Beltira and Belkira. God bless those two."

"Who?" Xander asked.

"Two of my fellow sorcerers," Belmovekk explained, "Two of the kindest old men you will probably never get to meet. And absolute wizards in the kitchen. Me, Beldin and Belgarath always tried stealing their food. And beer. That too. God bless the Twins, it's like they always knew when we were going to pilfer their pantry, cause it was always well stocked."

"You miss them? Your friends I mean," Xander asked curious.

"More then you will ever know," the Saiyan nodded, "still, one day my mission here will be over and then I will go back and see them again."

"So is this one of those things that you 'created'?" Xander asked as he finished his cookie, "Cause Buffy said you kept on making boxes for her like you had your personal pantry on that graveyard. Is this something your friends used to make and that you stole?"

That caused Belmovekk to chuckle.

"I wish the Twins had these for us to steal," he said, "It is not that we do not have chocolate where I live, just not that much of it. When goods have to hauled around by small sailing ships and caravans it does tend to limit what and how much they can transport."

"I'll take your word for it," Xander said.

"Actually the cookies come from a baker in Grover street," Belmovekk said and pointed behind them.

"What, that funny looking Middle Eastern guy? Who always mumbles and looks funny at Willow and Buffy when we pass his shop. He makes these?" Xander said surprised.

"The best baker in town," Belmovekk said and put the box in between them, "So, no, I did not create them that night. Why create food when the real magic happens in a kitchen?"

"I'll keep that in mind," Xander said making another cookie grab, "Best not to tell Buffy though where they come from."

"Why is that?" Belmovekk asked curious, "Because she does not like the man who bakes them?"

Xander gave Belmovekk an incredulous glare.

"4000 years and he knows nothing about women?" he said shaking his head, "Haven't you learned that women are perfectly capable to say one thing and do another?"

"It might have crossed my attention," the Saiyan said diplomatic.

"No, Buffy is perfectly capable to eat the cookies of a guy she thinks is a pervert," Xander sighed, "But she kinda likes the idea that you made them for her, even with your ability to make things out of nowhere. It makes her feel special. So my advice, don't tell her. Happy Slayer equals happy training."

"Sound advice from someone so young," Belmovekk said impressed, "I shall keep that in mind."

"Just because I make bad jokes all the time doesn't mean I don't notice," Xander said, "Just that I got lousy timing in humor. And probably in a few other things as well."

Belmovekk looked at Xander.

"Why are you here, young man? You barely noticed the weather and you did not come here to eat cookies with an old man," he asked.

Xander eyed the Saiyan for a moment, then he sighed deeply.

"I wish I was different," he then said, causing Belmovekk to raise an eyebrow.

"Do we not all, young man?" he said, "So, different in what way?"

"I'm so fed up with being the buttmonkey of this group, B-man," Xander said looking straight ahead, "why does the bad stuff always happen to me? Why do I always attract the praying mantis lady, the goddamn hyena possessions, the Inca zombie princess, being frat hazed by Kappa-Beta-Demon or having to be saved from the school bully by a girl? Even if it is Buffy."

"Ah," Belmovekk said nodding understanding, "I take it you had a bad week?"

"Very bad week, B-man," Xander nodded sullen, "it's like I always feel the joke is on poor Xander. And to top it off I just don't feel any stronger. I've been training my ass off and I don't feel any stronger. Or better. I couldn't even stand up against those fratboys. Buffy on the other hand, I can feel Buffy's already moving ahead, increasing the distance. I feel like I still end up drawing the shortest straw. The useless one."

Belmovekk shifted until he was facing Xander sideways.

"Well, she is the Slayer, young man. She has this huge natural advantage over the rest of humanity. In your case it maybe takes more time. Not even Goku's friends had that natural advantage and they are the strongest humans I know. From what I gather some of them feel quite the same way about us Saiyans. No matter what they do, they never seem to be closing the gap, only see it grow bigger and bigger."

"So how do they cope then?" Xander asked.

"Just doing their best I suppose," the Saiyan said, "when life deals you a bad hand you play with what you got."

Xander mulled it over for a minute.

"It just pains me that I can never be there for Buffy. Like Dead Boy always seems to be. She's training him, did you know? Teaching him what she learned from you."

Belmovekk raised another eyebrow. Of all the things that surprised him since coming to this town it was learning that the Slayer was dating a vampire. Granted, one with a soul, which meant technically he was one of the good guys. But still, the very concept stunned the mind and warped it in 'creative ways'.

"That disgusting vampire she hangs around with?" he said. To which Xander nodded in response.

"Training a damn vamp in using chi," Xander said shaking his head in disbelief, "what is the world coming to! Even though he does have a soul and helps out from time to time. And since he's stronger then me I can't even close that gap. Damn, I just wished there was some way I could surpass at least Dead Boy."

"I must confess, I am not that fond of the vampire myself either," Belmovekk nodded in agreement, "it just does not feel right. Especially for people like me with highly attuned senses. Still, the vampire fights the good fight. We must not be that judgmental in our allies. Most of Goku's friends were his enemies at one point. In fact they all were, maybe not Krillin. Nah, he disliked him also when they were little. Hated his guts."

"I suppose," Xander shrugged, "I just wish they weren't that cozy all the time. I always suspect them to be locking lips behind our backs. Its not natural. A vampire and a vampire Slayer together like that."

"What we do is not natural either. Lots of things are not natural eith... " Belmovekk's eyes lit up as he finally connected the dots, "I get it, you are in love with her. Are you not?"

"I'm _so_ not in love with Buffy," Xander huffed indignant as he looked away, "especially after that stunt she pulled when she returned from LA."

"Yes, you are," Belmovekk said suppressing a smile, "I can see the signs now. You are the type that hangs out with a girl but is afraid to ask her. So you become the best friend instead. And she will never see you as anything else instead. You will comfort her when she has boyfriend troubles and comes crying to you but she will never even think that you might be the one. I pity you. No wonder you are the buttmonkey."

"Don't you start making fun of me too," Xander bit back, "I get that enough from the others. And for your information I did ask her out once. It's public knowledge these days. It's just that she gave me the 'I never think of you like that, but we can still be friends' speech. Might as well have ripped my balls off as well."

The Saiyan gave a sympathetic face.

"Those are the worst, young man," Belmovekk said and put his hands on Xander's shoulders, "the most cruel words unknown to femalekind. Makes you want to wish that the ground would open up and swallow you whole. Of course, this being the Hellmouth it might be wiser to wish for something else. Death by lightning strike, collapsing roof, giant bird of prey, huge pot of gold. Do not worry. We have all heard that speech at some point. Even I."

Xander looked shocked.

"No way, not the great Belmovekk! The B-man doesn't strike me as the lovesick puppy type."

"It pleases me that you think of me as a ladiesman, young man, but back on planet Vegeta I knew this girl, boy, was she a hot piece of Saiyan ass, that's for sure," Belmovekk said smiling at the memory, "nicely athletic with superbly toned ass muscles, I must have asked her a dozen times to become my mate, but she never showed any interest in me whatsoever. She just wanted to be friends"

"Funny how they always want to be friends right after they rip your heart out. So how did it end?"

"She probably died when Freeza blew up our planet. And if not she was probably killed by his assassin squads. You know, it is kind of funny, I was absolutely smitten with this girl back then but I have not thought a moment about her ever since. And I was so sure she was the one eternal for me at the time. The mind is a funny thing indeed. I do not think I can really help you in this, young man. Women are the strangest beings in the universe. I have long given up on understanding them."

"I can give you some advice though. Option A. do nothing and continue as before, loving her and suffering in silence while she ignores you. There is option B. keep telling her how much you still love her. There is always a slim chance that she may change her mind. Sometimes a penny needs some time to fall and I am told some women like it when a suitor persists."

"That is sick, B-man! Why do they do it?"

"A wise man once said women need three things. Food, water and compliments. And the occasional pair of shoes! I guess they do it because its nice to have a man tell them they look nice and are the most desirable thing in the universe. And because deep down they know that when the man has what he wants he will say it less or altogether stop?"

"As for Buffy, if she did not think of you in that way before I do not think she will do it if you continue to persist. You will experience much anguish and despair and in due time come to the insight that all hope is indeed lost. You can then drown your sorrow in strong ale and much carousing with easier women. I will join you if you like. I have done my fair share of strong ale and carousing thanks to Belgarath. So I know the drill. There is also option C."

"Which is?"

"Accept that there are some battles you cannot win and move on. The vampire apparently occupies superior positions and no assault that you mount will dislodge him from that. Accept that there are other fish in the sea and that its better to lust after more willing girls then those that do not think of you in that way. This may seem hard to grasp right now but the easiest and clearest truths always seem to be like that. But hey, at least the truth will set you free! Personally I hope you go for option C. I hate to see you suffer like this."

Belmovekk put his arm around Xander and started smirking.

"If you want we could go on a hunt for strong ale and much carousing tonight. Or put you through such rigorous exercises that will leave you so exhausted and indifferent for the female gender they will think you must be gay."

"No gay thing," Xander objected, "I'm so not into that!"

"You would be surprised how good that can work out, young man," the Saiyan said winking, "all these girls get bothered by hormonal young men so many times a day it leaves them exhausted and indifferent. When they finally do meet a male that shows no interested in them it becomes almost like an aphrodisiac. Then again, it does not always give you control over which one comes after you."

"That sounds tempting B-man," Xander said, "but with my luck the girl I do manage to attract I'll be lucky is she's human. Besides, that troll Snyder has sentenced me to the Halloween patrol with the kiddies. I have to take a rain check on that. I still have to get a dumb costume."

"You humans have weird customs," the Saiyan said absentminded as he leaned back again. It seemed like he was listening to something else so for a while they didn't say anything until Xander spoke up again.

"I just wish, for once, I could be an equal to Buffy," he said staring ahead, "If I can't be her lover then at least an equal, a comrade in arms that she can trust, and not some burden she has to protect all the time."

That caused Belmovekk to look up from his musings.

"I do not think you could ever be a burden to her, young man. She may not think of you as a lover, but certainly not a burden. You guys are her lifeline, her reason for continuing doing what she does night after night."

Xander gave Belmovekk the whatever look.

"Oh, you are so wrong, B-man. Precisely because she loves us as friends will she start shutting us out. If we don't go out with her night after night she doesn't run the risk that we die on her. She'd rather lose us then have to bury us. Willow might stick around longer then me because she's good with the books and tends to stay behind mostly anyway. But I suspect that if this training doesn't pick up for me soon I will soon thereafter become demoted to being the snack delivery guy for research parties."

"I find that hard to believe, young man," Belmovekk said incredulously

"I don't," Xander snorted, "don't get me wrong, B-man, I love her to death, even as a friend, and would gladly and willingly die beside her. But I don't think she will let me. She's too protective. Angel however, somehow she's convinced herself that he's a worthy equal, capable of fighting alongside her. Even though it was me who had to drag the Prince of Broodness down the drains to save her from the Master. The bastard was just too busy brooding in his room over some stupid prophecy that Buffy said would die to do anything about it."

The Saiyan mulled that over for a while. He could see the truth in Xander's words. There was much bitterness in them but also great heart and truth. It was with much regret that he came to a decision.

"Tell you what, Xander Harris," he said as he stood up and stood before the young man, "I am going to do you a favor! Although you may not think of it like that at first. But as with everything in life, you should be careful what you wish for, for you may get it."

Xander gave the Saiyan an odd look.

"I don't understand, are you going Kosh on me?" he asked flummoxed.

"Oh, you will, young man, quite soon in fact," Belmovekk replied in a way that caused Xander to feel a slight case of the wiggins to come up.

"This is your last chance, young man," the Saiyan asked, "do you really wish to be stronger, to be able to fight as an equal alongside Buffy? You can still back down and live a normal life. I will not think of any less of you. Maybe even the contrary."

That should have caused alarm bells to go off in Xander's head but the Saiyan touched on something that was a raw nerve for him

"I don't want a normal life," Xander said vehemently, "normal means becoming like my father. Normal means standing by and letting my friends die! If that means being normal then count me out."

The Saiyan hunched down and looked Xander in the eyes.

"I can understand that sentiment now, young man, but when I do this, everything will change. This is not about you not wanting to be a buttmonkey, or being jealous of Angel. Getting a major upgrade means your responsibilities also increase. No more Xander the clown. No matter how you feel about me, Buffy, Angel, you will have to rise to the occasion from now on."

"I've been doing that for over a year and feeling damn no appreciation for it," Xander huffed indignant, "no matter what it takes, I'll be there."

"So be it young man, your course is set," the Saiyan sighed. But to Xander's surprise he didn't actually do anything but sit next to him again.

"Shouldn't you be doing something?" Xander asked after a while.

"Not everything happens all at once, young man," Belmovekk replied as he leaned back and enjoyed the sunshine, taking out another cookie to nibble on, "I cannot just wave my magic wand and make it happen. It takes some time to set things up properly."

"And you call yourself a sorcerer," Xander snorted.

"I never said I was a good one," Belmovekk replied without looking up, "besides, some things really do take time to set up. Hey, since you are here you will be the first to know, I have gotten a place around here."

"So you've gotten yourself your own little spot of Sunnyhell?" Xander said grinning. The Saiyan nodded in agreement.

"I figured I might as well get me a place to stay somewhere, why not here? This place stinks to the heavens with demonic chi but I will probably be here so often it is now my home away from home."

"So where is your crib going to be, B-man?"

"It's over there," Belmovekk said and pointed into a general direction away from them, "on 25th street. There is a warehouse there and it is on top of it. Which is great if I have fly off somewhere. I also bought the warehouse by the way. I am thinking of transforming it into an indoor training facility. While it is always good to purge the unclean, having to clean out the park every time does become a chore after a while."

"Your own fortress of solitude," Xander grinned, "must have cost you a good cent then?"

"Not as much as you think," the Saiyan said, "from what I gather the demand for houses does not outstrip the supply in Sunnydale. I suspect that the housing merchants here have a very good idea about what goes on in this town and keep some properties of the market in order to keep up prices to at least some level or they would be out of business."

"Ah, the joys of living in Sunnydale, B-man," Xander sighed, "Where getting a house and mortgage is easy but living long enough to pay it off isn't. I assume you used your pixiegold to pay for it?"

The look on the Saiyan's face was priceless.

"Hey, I happen to know my gold is 100% perfect, young man! Extremely pure. The goldsmiths always seem to be needing a toilet break whenever I visit them, they get that excited."

"If only they knew where it came from," Xander said. hardly able to contain his laughter that one of the greatest warriors in the universe could be so easily goaded. Bemovekk gave Xander a quick death glare before continuing.

"Just because it does not come out of some mine or stream does not make it any less real," he huffed, "besides, your government prints new paper money every day. An it is not even backed up by real gold as it should be. It is just paper!"

"I'm getting economics lessons from an alien," Xander said as he got up, "I guess that's my cue to leave before the world comes to an end. It's been good talking to you, B-man. Rest assured, your secret is safe with me."

"Do not forget tonight, young man," the Saiyan said after him, "time to show me how well your training has been progressing in my absence. I only have a few days before I have to go again and probably much laziness and tardiness to sweat you guys out of."

"Oh goody I can hardly wait," Xander sighed.

x

* * *

x

"What'd you get?" Buffy asked as she and Willow were browsing the costumes in Sunnydale's latest mercantile addition, Ethan's Costume Shop.

"A time-honored classic," Willow smiles weakly as she held up a ghost costume to Buffy's horror.

"Okay, Will, can I give you a little friendly advice?" Buffy asked shaking her head.

"It's not spooky enough?" Willow asked nervously.

"It's just.. ," Buffy said, not knowing how to say it in a way to spare Willow's feelings, so she decided to be blunt to be blunt instead, "you're never gonna get noticed if you keep hiding. You're missing the whole point of Halloween."

"Free candy..," Willow smiled weakly.

"It's come as you aren't night," Buffy said smiling, trying to put Willow at ease, "the perfect chance for a girl to get sexy and wild with no repercussions."

"Oh, I don't get wild," Willow objected vehemently, "wild on me equals spaz."

"Don't underestimate yourself," Buffy countered, "You've got it in you."

Feeling cornered Willow looked around in panic and sees her other friend, Xander, perusing through the costume shop and waved towards him.

"Hey, Xander!"

Xander waved back and came up to them.

"What'd you get?" Willow asked, hoping she has successfully diverted the previous subject.

Xander showed a toy machine gun he has taken from one of the racks.

"That's not a costume," Buffy snorted as she eyed the piece of plastic.

"I got fatigues from an Army surplus at home," Xander said as he put the toy gun away, "call me the Two-Dollar Costume King, baby!"

A man came up to them, clearly the shop owner.

"If you removed that from the plastic wrap it means you have to buy it, son," the owner said

"That's OK," Xander said, I was going to buy it anyway."

The shopkeeper took a good look at Xander, then his eyes narrowed.

"Say, are you called Xander by the way?" he asked curious.

Xander looked surprised, as did Willow and Buffy.

"Uh, yeah?" Xander asked surprised, "something wrong?"

"Ah," the shopkeeper said as he started grinning from ear to ear, "then your money is no good here."

"What do you mean?" an even more surprised Xander asked.

"Come with me," the man said and goes back to the counter, "there was this gentleman who came in here earlier and ordered that I make this suit to measurement for a certain, Alexander Lavelle Harris, calling himself Xander. That under no way should I sell him anything else and that I should give you this letter."

The owner gave Xander a sealed letter and he opened it.

 _Remember our little talk? I am going to do you a favor. I have ordered the shopkeeper to create you a special costume. It is that of a Saiyan Elite warrior. Scourge of the universe. May it serve you well during the coming night._

 _Forever thy loyal servant,_

 _The B-Man!_

"He also requested that I give you a letter as well," the shopkeeper said to Buffy.

"He did?" the blond Slayer asked surprised.

The shopkeeper just smiled and handed her another sealed letter.

"What does it say?" Xander asked nervous as she read it.

"That I should make you wear the costume, even if I have to kick your ass to hell and back," Buffy said with a growing grin.

Meanwhile the owner gave Xander a package that Xander opened to reveal a blue and white costume. To the obvious amusement of Buffy and Willow Xander pulled it out and held it in front of him.

"It has more spandex in it then an 80's hair metal music video marathon," Xander groaned in disgust.

"I thought you liked spandex," Buffy smiled.

"On you, not on me," Xander sighed.

"To bad, Xander," Buffy grinned evilly as she patted Xander on his back, "I have to do what he said, remember?"

"I so hate my life," muttered Xander as he puts the costume back in its packaging.

x

* * *

x

Later that evening.

"Showtime!"

x

* * *

x

"OhmiGod! I'm a real ghost!"

Horrified Willow looked at herself as she saw her ghost clad body lie on some porch, while a very hot looking but also very deceased looking spirit Willow stood above it.

What the hell happened?

One moment she's taking her little group of trick-or-treaters through the streets, and then suddenly she's a real ghost looking at a real corpse version of her. Not good. Not good at all!

She was about to undergo a serious freakout when suddenly she heard the sounds of explosions coming from further down the street. And she immediately realized who was there.

"Xander?" she asked worried. Getting no answers she ran out into the street where the explosions happened and saw somebody standing there dressed much like Xander was.

"Xander?" she asked again when she got close.

As Xander spun around he pointed his right hand at her and immediately charged an energy blast at her. Gone is the gentle Xander she has always known (and loved), his face is now all twisted in a snarl of pure rage and hatred.

"It's me, Willow!" Willow said defensively trying to dissuade him.

"I don't know any Willow," Xander the Saiyan snarled and fired his attack at her. But instead of exploding and killing her It goes straight through her and exploded against a car behind her.

Willow was now in utter shock.

Xander tried to kill her.

Her best friend since kindergarten tried to kill her!

Granted, she was already dead, sortish, but still, her oldest friend had just tried to kill her.

"Did you just tried to kill me?" Willow asked as she looked back and fro between Xander and the ruined car.

"What in the name of the Seven Hells is going on here?" Xander the Saiyan yelled outraged!

"You don't know me?" Willow asked still in shock.

Xander made a sudden move and tried to punch her. The force of the punch was so strong it caused the burning wreck behind them to move. Yet it had no effect on Willow as it moved right through her.

"Oh," Willow said, then she looked back at where her dead body was lying on some porch. Xander the Saiyan started to look at her suspiciously, then he put his arms through her again, seemingly to test why he couldn't hit her. Only then does Willow realize what has happened. The costumes! They became their costumes! She became a ghost and Xander, ohmiGod, he becamea bloodthirsty Saiyan!

"What are you?" Xander asked suspiciously, still waving his hand through her.

Quickly her mind raced trying to come up with something that could save something from this situation. From what she knows of Saiyans they are incredibly powerful. Right now Xander has probably no equal in this town until Belmovekk returns and he could probably just as easy level this place. She needed to be quick and choose her words carefully.

"What do you remember?" Willow asked.

Xander the Saiyan looked aside and raised an eyebrow as he tried to remember.

"Last thing I remember me and my team where on Themicron 4," he finally said, "we were cleansing that world for sterilization. Then I suddenly find myself on this godforsaken shithole."

Cleansing that world? Oh my God, Willow thought horrified, they were murdering a whole planet!

Xander the Saiyan tried to poke through her some more.

"Are you a hologram?" he finally asked, "You look almost real."

"Yes, I am a hologram," Willow said, her mind kicking into overdrive trying to remember every Saiyan detail Belmovekk had ever mentioned, "I have new orders for you from, um, regimental command."

Xander the Saiyan snorted in disgust.

"Regimental? What does that swine of a Pollack have to say?"

Willow didn't know any Pollack but he was probably the guy in charge.

"The mission has been, um, changed. You are to, um, protect that woman," Willow said and pointed across the street where she had seen Buffy lying fainted on the ground. The shock of it all probably having been too much for her.

"Regiment has got to be kidding?" Xander the Saiyan said shaking his head in disgust, "I will kick Pollack's ass from her to the moons of Nibbia for this."

Disgusted he walked across the street to pick Buffy up.

"She couldn't have dressed up like Xena?" Willow sighed dejected as she followed him.

"What's so special about this woman?" Xander the Saiyan asked after throwing lady Buffy over his shoulder, "even without a scouter I can see she's pathetic. And why am I even here in this place?"

"Um, her father pays, um, Freeza a lot of money to protect her," Willow said quickly, "yes, so they sent you. There was an, um, accident. And your ship was, um, damaged and you lost your, um, memories of the crash. They tried to communicate but there was no response. So they send me. I'm an, um, artificial intelligence."

"I didn't know they came like this," Xander the Saiyan as he checked out Willow, "you look kinda hot like that."

"Oh, me neither,' Willow said smiling a little uncomfortable, "but I guess I'm the latest in all things artificial."

Xander the Saiyan checked her out some more.

"You're a bit skinny for my taste though, but I hope they've modeled you on somebody real. So what would you have me do with this piece of meat?"

Willow looked around as in looking for a solution.

"Take her there," she said and pointed at Buffy's house, 'the retrieval boat will land there."

Then a monster appeared, growling across the street. Xander the Saiyan immediately trained his free hand at the thing to charge an energy attack.

"No you can't " Willow said shaking her head as she jumped in front of him.

"Why shouldn't I?" Xander the Saiyan asked aggrieved, "I see, I kill!"

"Because, um, because….., you must maintain a low profile," Willow said, "they mustn't know we are here!"

"Look, A.I., whatever your name is," Xander the Saiyan said coolly, "I'm not some skulking Infiltrator. I'm an Elite. We don't care about maintaining low profiles. We advertise our whereabouts by blowing up our enemies!"

Oh shit, Willow thought in despair, why did her best friends have to dress up like an useless noblewoman and Attila the Saiyan? Quick, what could she think of?

"Freeza doesn't want them harmed," she said triumphantly, "otherwise he will be very angry! Just keep the girl safe."

"Alright, alright," Xander the Saiyan muttered as he reabsorbed his energy attack, then lifted off as he flew the short distance to Buffy's house, "one of these days we should really do something about that horned freak!".

"He can do that now?" Willow said surprised as she ran after him.

Well! This is just.. neat," a pleasantly surprised Spike grinned as he walked the panic stricken Sunnydale streets and took out a cell phone, "oh boys, you'll never going to believe this."

x

* * *

x

BLAM!

Xander the Saiyan kicked open the door of the Summers residence ruining the lock, then casually dropped Buffy the noblewoman on the couch in the living room.

"Couldn't you have just opened this door?" Willow said as she followed a few seconds later.

"It's not my fault that everything on this world is not build for Saiyans," Xander snorted indifferent to her argument, then he walked away, "I'm going to look for something to eat."

Now alone Willow examined the door. The lock is busted but it looks like it can still be closed. If only Xander could barricade it then they would still be alright. As she looked outside more monsters came by running through the streets.

"Somebody help me!" a familiar voice suddenly screamed across the street, causing Willow to go through the door to look outside.

"Cordelia!" Willow said and stepped outside. A huge Sasquatch was chasing Cordelia down the street and she was running for all she's worth. Then she saw Willow and started legging it for 1630 Revello Drive. Before Willow can say anything Cordelia ran inside and closed the door behind her, leaving Willow outside.

"You can't just….." Willow called after her. Without thinking she walked after Cordelia through the door and through Cordelia hanging on for all her life against the door from the inside.

Inside Buffy the noblewoman had just come around and started to look around to see where she is. Being from the 18th century she had no clue whatsoever as to what was going on. She does however see somebody dressed as a cat leaning against the door, followed by a ghost coming through the door and the cat person.

"…..leave me outside," Willow yelled angrily at Cordelia.

"Sorry, I was so scared….," Cordelia said, then she stopped talking and gave Willow a funny look, "Wait a second, Willow, did you just walk right through the door?"

"We have no time for that," Willow said, "something has happened and every."

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Buffy the noblewoman was now starting to seriously freak out.

"Oh no, Buff," Willow sighed and went to the freaking girl, "it's OK, everything is alright, you're safe now. Home."

"This is not my home," Buffy said looking freaked, "and who are you? You walk right through a door! Am I in some haunted mansion?"

"What's wrong with her?" Cordelia asked from the front door, "she's Buffy, she kicks these things ass. Why is she freaking out."

"She doesn't remember," Willow said to Cordelia, "they've all lost their memory and become their costumes. Hey, how come you remember, shouldn't you be like a cat or something?"

"That's nice, Willow," Cordelia replied looking at Willow as if she's stupid, "and you went mental when?"

"A lot's going on," Willow said defensively.

"No kidding," Cordelia huffed, "I was just attacked by Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy. Look at my costume! Do you really think that Partytown's gonna give me my deposit back? Not on the likely."

BAM!

The door suddenly got thrown open violently, throwing Cordelia to the floor as the Sasquatch enters the house.

"Grrooarrrwlll," it growled.

"No," Cordelia whimpered.

"Huh," Buffy said the noblewoman as she faints again.

"Uh, we could use some help here," Willow yelled to Xander the Saiyan.

"What in the name of the Seven Hells is going on here?" Xander the Saiyan yelled, carrying a piece of meat and a bottle of ketchup. As he saw the Sasquatch standing over Cordelia he stormed towards him and gave it a head butt. The Sasquatch fell back stone cold in the door opening. Xander then kicked it out of the door sending the Sasquatch crashing into a house across the road.

"Good riddance to thrash," Xander smirked and started eating the raw meat. It was gone in no time, then he took the ketchup bottle and started drinking from it like it was a beverage.

"Shouldn't you put that on the meat?" a very surprised Cordelia said as she tried to get up.

"Who are you?" Xander the Saiyan replied suspiciously.

"Who am I?" Cordelia huffed indignified, "Who are you, dweeb boy?"

"Not now, Cordelia," Willow said in despair and turned to Xander, "she's a friend."

"A friend?" Xander the Saiyan snorted, "dressed like that? She looks like a five credit cheap whore from the brothels of Altair 7!"

"Now look here..," Cordelia tried to say, only to be waved off by Willow. Xander the Saiyan however had already lost interest and returned to the kitchen.

"OK," Cordelia said turning to Willow, "I demand an explanation. What is going on here and especially with spandex boy there."

"Sshht," Willow replied, looking over her shoulder to see if Xander can hear them. The Saiyan however was already engrossed by the various condiments in Buffy's mother's kitchen.

"Look, it's like this," Willow explained, "everybody who dressed up suddenly became their costumes. All the kids turned into monsters, Buffy, well, she's now a totally useless noblewoman from the 18th century. As for Xander, he thinks, no, he _is_ some brutal, um, space alien from some, um, Japanese cartoon show."

"So on the downside we lose one insanely strong Buffy but at the upside we get an insanely strong Xander in return?"

"Actually, Buffy is nothing compared to what he is now," Willow said, and stuck her head through the wall to check on Xander.

"He mustn't know that he's not real," Willow continued after seeing that Xander the Saiyan had now discovered the joy that was ice cream, "you don't know these Saiyans. They are like Darth Vader and Superman all rolled into one very deadly package."

"How very efficient, Cordelia said, "and what if he finds out?"

"You and Buffy will probably die," Willow replied with a weak smile.

"And why won't you?"

"I'm already dead," Willow sighed, "I went dressed as a ghost."

"What, Slutty the Ghost?"

x

* * *

x

In the kitchen Xander the Saiyan had just finished off the supply of ice cream. It had been quite tasty, even though his stomach does now feel like a glacier. Time to find something more warm while he drank something called Worcestershire sauce. Slow and syrupy, and not much of it, and yet somehow quite tasty. By now he had exhausted the refrigerator and moved on to look into the other cabinets. He didn't bother to check out the freezer. The ice cream had been nice, but these things called frozen pizza's where nowhere near as good looking as the box suggested.

It was in another cabinet that he struck gold.

"Ha ha, finally, pay dirt," he said triumphantly and grabbed various bags of chips, cookies and tinned foods. He had his hands full when suddenly the backdoor opened and Angel entered the kitchen. As he saw Xander he visibly relaxed as if a weight was being lifted.

"Oh, good," Angel said sounding very much relieved, "you guys are alright. It's total chaos out."

Before he could finish his sentence Xander dropped his booty and before it could fall to the ground the youth had thrown himself upon Angel and pinned him against the wall."

"You feel all..., wrong," Xander the Saiyan hissed into Angel's face, his face turned into an angry snarl.

"Xander, what the hell is..," Angel tried to say but he got cut off.

"I don't know any Xander," Xander replied and started to sniff Angel, "by the Seven Hells, you really do feel wrong. I wonder if the A.I. will let me kill you."

"A.I.?" Angel asked surprised, although he does recognize the look of pure homicide in Xander's face, "What are you talking about, Xander?"

Hearing the commotion Willow came running into the kitchen only to find Xander holding Angel with murder in his eyes.

"No," she said vehemently, "don't kill him! He's, uh, he's, um, he's our contact. He's here to help!"

Xander looked over his shoulder at Willow.

"Can't I kill him, A.I.? He makes me feel sick just looking at him."

"No, you can't," Willow said while violently waving her hands and shaking her head.

"This mission sucks, A.I. I don't get to kill anything," Xander muttered annoyed and let go of Angel and started to pick up the various chips, nachos, cookies and tins of food he'd let fall.

"Is Buffy alright?" Angel asked as he massaged his neck.

"She's lies feinted on the couch," Willow said and went back to the living room

through the wall.

"Did you just…..." Angel said as he followed her through the door like normal people.

"Long story," Willow said looking back, "In short, basically everybody became their costume."

"Except for me," Cordelia said, busily re-arranging furniture to barricade the front door.

"And I wonder why?" Willow remarked curiously.

Angel meanwhile knelt besides Buffy and examined her.

"And what on earth did she become?" he asked.

"Some 18th century noblewoman," Willow replied," she's next to useless, she feints at the first sign of anything."

"Well, no wonder," Angel said and knocked on Buffy's waist, making a dull knocking sound, "she's corseted in so tight it's a wonder she can breath at all."

"But the dress didn't come with a corset," Willow said surprised, the latest one in a long list this evening.

"It does now," Angel said knocking again.

Xander the Saiyan entered the living room carrying his loot and started to kick aside the various things Cordelia had just managed to pile in front of the door.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Cordelia asked angry.

"I'm going out," Xander said without giving Cordelia a moments notice as he opened the door, "if I don't get to kill him I'm not staying here. I need some fresh air."

"But you can't leave?" Willow said, "You have to protect her."

"I'm not going far, A.I.," Xander said and nodded towards Angel, "I just refuse to stay in a house with something like him."

Xander the Saiyan went outside and sat on the porch, opening a bag of chips. One of the little monsters/kids came up to him sniffing.

"Fuck off!" Xander yelled and uses his tail to whip the little monster/kid unconscious across the road.

"What the….." Cordelia said as she saw the scene through the open door.

"Whats up with him?" Angel asked.

"He thinks he's a Saiyan," Willow replied.

Having been thought by Buffy and having met Belmovekk once Angel can make a mental picture of that.

"Then why don't you help him out of that dream," he asked.

"Because for now he _is_ a Saiyan, Angel," Willow said feeling suddenly very tired, "and not in the nice 'I'll help you cause I feel sorry for you' kind like Belmovekk, we're talking Attila the Saiyan here. He scares me more then Spike and the Master combined."

"We must do something," Cordelia said.

"Why didn't you change?" Angel asked.

"How should I know," Cordelia shrugged, "my good looks maybe?"

"You said you got your costume at Partytown," Willow said like she had had a revelation, "we got ours at Ethan's."

"Ethan's, that's that new place?" Cordelia said, "Now I know, it's full of cheap rubbish. Come on, how good can a costume be if it costs less then a happy meal? He was practically giving them away. At least at Partytown….."

"It sounds like Ethan's is the key," Angel said to Willow, "I'll go and check it out."

"No, you stay here and guard the house and Buffy," Willow said.

"And me," Cordelia quickly added.

"I'll go," Willow said, "who can harm me? I'm a ghost now."

"And a nicely shaped one as well," Angel grinned, "go then, my fellow undead."

"Oh guys," Cordelia said sounding very alarmed.

"What's wrong, Cordelia?" Willow asked.

"Look," Cordelia replies and pointed through the window across the street.

x

* * *

x

Xander the Saiyan had just finished the last packet of cookies. The chips and nachos were finished long ago. Now he was onto tinned foods and he tore open a can of hotdogs which he started to gulp down raw.

"You do know you are not supposed to eat them like that," a voice said.

His mouth still full Xander the Saiyan opened an eye and examines the bleached haired stranger who stood before him on the driveway, his face looking very demonic, as did five similarly faced men that are with him.

"Fuck off," Xander said with his mouth full.

"Or you are going to do what?" Spike snorted. While the Slayer was a particularly troublesome adversary, that boy that always hung around her like a lovesick puppy usually wasn't.

Xander the Saiyan gulped down the remainder of his hotdogs in one gulp and stood up.

"By the Seven Hells of Jeherheroth, you lot feel just as bad as that freak inside," Xander said, then turned around his head and yelled, "Hey A.I., I suppose I can't kill these ones also?"

Willow's head popped up through the wall.

"Well, actually him you can kill," she said, "but only him and others who feel like him. And except of course Angel here inside."

"My pleasure," Xander the Saiyan grinned from ear to ear, "Finally some murder, death, kill."

"Oh, yeah? You and whose army, spandex man?" Spike grinned.

"Let me do it," one of Spike's minions yelled, "I've been dying to kill him ever since that little shit hooked up with the Slayer."

"Be my guest," Spike said and stepped back to allow his minion to kill Xander.

"One Xanderstew coming right up," the minion grinned as he advances.

Xander the Saiyan just stood his ground and smirked.

"I'll wipe that stupid grin right of your face," the minion said.

"I don't think so," Xander smirked who grabbed the vampire faster then they ever thought was possible and started ripping him apart. Literally ripping the vamp apart. Body parts flying everywhere and everywhere. Finally Xander ripped off the head and what remained of the vampire turned to dust amidst a ghastly scream.

"What is this?" Spike muttered in shock and started to slowly walk backwards.

Xander the Saiyan meanwhile was coughing up vampire dust.

"Dusty bastards," he coughed not very amused, "and not so well in the aftertaste. I guess I'll have to settle for blowing you apart from a distance."

He held his arms up as if crucified and then in each hand an energy sphere appeared.

While Spike at least had the smarts to start backing out slowly, his remaining four minions lacked his better sense of judgment.

"Just look at the birdies," Xander smirked. The first attack however didn't come from the attack Xander was charging from his hands. From his mouth he spit up a fireball that incinerated minion number 2. While the others look perplexed Xander fired off the other two attacks and destroyed two more.

"Don't just stand there, fool," Spike yelled and pushed his remaining minion towards Xander.

"Bugger this," he said and made for the nearest manhole cover while Xander ripped minion number 5 to shreds.

When number 5 finally snuffed it Xander ran after Spike who has already dropped inside the manhole.

"I'm coming to get you, sucker," he yelled after the vampire and threw down an energy ball. It's not a particular strong attack but its loud enough to ruin anyone's hearing and very, very bright. Enough to function as a SWAT style flashbang grenade. Xander immediately jumps in after the bang.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

x

* * *

x

As Angel watched over Buffy and struggled to release her from her corset, Willow was mading best speed for Giles, Xander was trying to play tag with Spike underground and a certain Ethan Rayne was enjoying himself immensely, another POV exists. A few hundred meters over Sunnydale Belmovekk held up station, looking very intently at the proceedings going on down below. His scouter kept track of the various things he needed to keep track off.

So far this evening had turned out wilder then he'd ever thought possible. The wild chaos magic had him seriously impressed. And from time to time he had to intervene to keep people from getting hurt. Luckily the small children turned demons were too small to really harm most people but to be sure he had managed to stun most of them and put them in front of Sunnydale High.

Xander's disappearance below ground did concern him though. His tracking abilities below ground was limited thanks to that accursed Hellmouth.

Then his scouter went off. A large power was approaching. A very large power. Belmovekk turns towards the north. Soon a white flash came into view that became Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans. And he didn't look very happy.

"Movekk," he yelled, "what in the Seven Hells is going on here! I sensed another Saiyan here. Where is he!"

"There is no other Saiyan," Belmovekk replied as Vegeta looked around, trying to sense the other Saiyan, "but there is magic here, my prince. Pure wild chaos magic. A chaos mage has unleashed more power then he thought was possible. So, for tonight only, a Saiyan Elite walks this earth. Even though he is, technically, still human."

"A Saiyan Elite?" Vegeta said as he looked up, "what are you talking about? How is this possible, Movekk!"

The Saiyan sorcerer gave a quick outlay on how he was hijacking the prank of a chaos mage into something more constructive for the long term.

"You are mad, Movekk," Vegeta said stunned afterwards, "how can you do such a thing! Why would you even do such a thing for a puny human?"

Belmovekk made a silent snort and pointed around him.

"Have you ever paid attention to this place, my prince?"

Vegeta looked down briefly. He hasn't really. He knew it was out here though. Unlike Kakarot who really was an ignorant fool about his own world Vegeta quickly learned the seedier underside of this world. Not that he really cared. Surpassing Kakarot was all that mattered to him.

"Of course I have, Movekk," Vegeta huffed, "it absolutely reeks of foulness. It just makes me sick to go there. It's also absolutely full of those, things."

"Then why did you not do anything about it, my prince," Belmovekk asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"I keep my own neighborhood clean, Movekk," Vegeta retorted, "its not my problem these Earthers can't keep their own house in order."

"These things are not supposed to be here, my prince," Belmovekk said, "this thing and these things are not supposed to be here. These people that I am trying to help need my help desperately."

"By turning them into their costumes? That is twisted, Movekk!"

"I know," Belmovekk replied and looked down again as his scouter caught a quick glimpse of Xander, "we all have to do things we do not like. We do what must be done to complete the mission, it is the Saiyan way."

Vegeta also folds his arms across his chest.

"And if it helps these shrimps so much," he asked curious, "why just the boy, why not that girl?"

"I do not know," Belmovekk said, "the boy is somehow special. For some strange reason only he will retain anything useful from it. The rest will just forget, but not him."

"Then for his sake I hope he hurries up," Vegeta said smirking, "cause Kakarot and his gang are coming up fast."

Belmovekk expanded his scouter to wide scan and looked to the west. Vegeta was right. Several blips were approaching fast across the western ocean.

"It matters not," Belmovekk said as he reset his scouter back to narrow scan, "It will be over soon. The Watcher has been alerted and soon it will be over. He is already speeding towards the shop. In a few minutes it will be over."

From the other side of town came a large explosion as an old warehouse blew apart in a spectacular fashion.

"Is that the boy?" Vegeta asked.

"Yes, my prince," Belmovekk said with just a hint of pride, "he is hunting a particularly troublesome vampire."

"Disgusting creatures," Vegeta snorted, "San Francisco used to be full of them. One had even the gall to come to the Capsule Corp grounds."

"This is the only world that I know off that has them," Belmovekk remarked causing Vegeta to frown.

"I thought you wrestled demons on that world of yours? I heard something in that fashion from Bulma."

"Demons which _I_ had to summon, my prince. They don't exist naturally there," Belmovekk said and pointed to his tattoos, "I did not get these for fun."

"Is that the boy?" Vegeta said and pointed as he saw Xander run across a street then dive into another manhole.

"Yes," Belmovekk said, "I think we should give him a little aid. If the Watcher breaks the spell he could find himself in trouble all alone."

"Speak for yourself," Vegeta snorted, "I'm going back, I have training to do. Your mess, you clean it up. This vile place makes me ill anyway. If you wish to help these people just blow it up. At least then you can start doing some really constructive. Like training for those androids."

"I will be there, my prince, and now if you excuse me," Belmovekk retorted, then dropped down to Xander's last location. He landed alongside the open manhole and jumped inside. The scouter immediately went haywire underground thanks to he Hellmouth's interference but Xander the Saiyan had a power that ran in the thousands. He can still be tracked if nearby. So Belmovekk wasted no more time and ran after Xander.

x

* * *

x

By now he must have killed dozens of these creatures, mostly underground. He knew there were many, many more. He lost the A.I. long ago, he no longer cared about her, nor the mission. Ever since he hit the sewers all that matters was the thrill of the hunt. That annoying Bleached One still eluded him, but he was hot on his trail. For some reason, even without a scouter, he can sense where that one is.

He crossed another underground corner, these sewers appear to be endless, and caught a glimpse of the Bleached One. To bad he had to make it past a group of other demons, huge horned beasts, apparently a family. They didn't take kindly to the passage of the Bleached One and when they saw him running after it they all turned their anger on him. Not that they would pose much problems, it's just that it meant yet another delay in getting the Bleached One.

With these demons he much preferred energy attacks. They become way too messy if you kill them by hand. He quickly charged some energy attacks and blasted the two smallest demons to pieces. The remaining three made a charge for him but he easily evaded them. They were big but they were nothing to him. A mouth blast took care of number three, that left only four and five. A kick sent number four to the furthest reaches of this cavern. He pummeled number five against the wall with a swift series of punches that had it gasping for breath. Enough time to charge an attack that vaporized it almost pointblank range. Now number four had gotten up again and roared defiantly.

"Time to die, bitch," he grinned evilly and pointed his hand to charge his biggest attack yet, "DIE!"

x

* * *

x

In a certain costume shop Giles grabbed an idol of Janus and smashed it hard against the floor, shattering into many pieces.

x

* * *

x

At 1630 Revello Drive Buffy opened her eyes into Angel's concerned face.

"Uh, Angel," she asked curious, "why are you messing with my costume, and why is Cordelia watching?

x

* * *

x

At the front porch of the house where Willow's body had lain it now started moving again. She yanked of the ghost sheet as she felt herself quite out of breath. When she was still a ghost she could run around town like some Olympic marathon runner, as she didn't need to breath. Now it felt like it she had run a marathon. As she got up she noticed how she was dressed and for a moment she desperately wanted to cover it up again. Then she thought better of it and threw the ghost sheet away.

x

* * *

x

"DIE!"

Xander the Saiyan's attack hit demon number four. The beast roared in pain, but does not die. Because unfortunately in an instant the attack went from strong enough to level a city block to just barely strong enough to piss of a very big and very strong demon.

"Oh shit, Xander muttered as he started to look for the exit in panic. Seeing that the way he came was still open he started to leg it.

"Holy lady of blasted acceleration don't fail me now," he muttered as he ran away as fast as he could.

Meanwhile the beast roared angrily. That manthing had just killed its mate and family and then hurt it. Filled with homicidal rage all it now wanted to do was rip its head off as it began to pursue Xander screaming bloody murder.

As Xander ran through the sewer he could hear the demon closing behind him.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" he said terrified, "She's probably female as well!"

Xander ran past an underground crossing with another very dark sewer. Three seconds later his pursuing demon came by. Only now a hand came from the other sewer, grabbed the demon and yanked it into the other sewer. A few muffled noises followed, then a bone crunching noise, ending with the sound of ripping flesh.

x

* * *

x

The first thing the Scoobies did after the spell had broken up and after the children they were supposed to supervise had been returned home was to gather at the library. Xander had been the first there to arrive, although the right word to use in his case was the first to flee there, straight from the sewers. Willow arrived second, followed by Giles. Buffy arrived last with Angel, having dressed into something more like her normal attire, instead of the 18th century torture device that had been part of her dress.

Giles then proceeded to explain exactly what had happened with Ethan's spell.

"So that's how it happened," Giles said finishing off, only then to notice Xander's somewhat torn spandex and plastic armor costume, covered in dirt.

"If I may ask, Xander, what were you supposed to be?"

"You don't want to know," the young man said, pacing furiously, occasionally looking outside the window, like he expected someone to be waiting there for him.

"Xander was dressed as a Saiyan warrior," Willow said as she let herself fall into a chair, still exhausted, "he nearly killed Spike."

"Yet he did manage to kill the contents of my mom's entire fridge and everything edible in the house," Buffy said teasing, "enough food to last us a week. There's nothing left but a few frozen pizza's. How on earth did you manage to eat it all, Xan? Especially the raw meat?"

"I don't feel so good," Xander replied and clutches his stomach as well.

"You nearly tore of my head," Angel said, "you said I felt wrong."

"Well, you did feel all wrong. D.B," Xander replied uncomfortable as his stomach was really starting to act up.

"What on earth possessed you to dress as a Saiyan?" Giles asked.

"Hey, it wasn't my idea, right," Xander said as he pointed at Giles, "I planned to go as a soldier! It was Belmovekk and Buffy who made me do it!"

"I didn't tell you do dress as a Saiyan," Buffy said as the eyes of the whole room turned towards her, "I just told you to do what Belmo wanted you to do."

"Which just happened to be having to dress me as a Saiyan," Xander said, then he looked at Giles, "do you have anything for stomach pain?"

"In my desk, second drawer," Giles said, nodding towards his office.

"Thanks," Xander said grateful and raced into Giles' office.

"But was it so bad?" Giles asked after Xander, "For some strange reason nobody seems to have gotten hurt."

"I nearly got killed and I tried to kill my friends," Xander said vehemently from Giles' office, "I tried to kill Will, my best friend! If she hadn't been a ghost she'd be dead. Granted, technically she was already dead. If she hadn't tricked me into thinking she was some Saiyan hologram and that my mission was to protect Buffy a whole lot of people would have been dead."

"But without you being all Saiyan Spike would have come and killed Buffy," Willow countered.

Xander re-emerged from Giles' office carrying some Pepto-Bismol triumphantly.

"Spike could have done nothing, Will, he has no invitation to enter Buffy's home, remember?" he said as he swallowed some.

"Maybe not," Angel said, "but we did find several jerrycans of gasoline outside. If he had set fire to the house we would not have been able to hold out without Buffy."

"Who was all useless 18th century noblewoman and kept feinting, remember?" Willow added.

"Hey, you try wearing a real 18th century dress, that corset nearly cut me in half," Buffy countered, as she touched her sides, "my waist still hurts. And before anyone asks, no, that costume didn't come with a corset!"

"You killed five vampires, Xan," Willow said, "it was awesome. You even spit fire at one of them. Too bad Spike got away."

"If only I got him," Xander sighed, "then at least it would have been worth it. I went underground looking for Spike. I must have killed dozens of vamps and demons before my luck ran out. I was fighting these big demons, huge guys, yellow fur, big horns."

"Sounds like Mylar demons," Giles said impressed, "very strong, even a Slayer would think twice of taking one on. Relatively harmless unless attacked though."

"I took on five, G-man," Xander said, stealing a quick look out of the window, "I had already killed four and was about to kill the last one when, poof, suddenly Saiyan me was gone and old me was back. I came this close to dying. Bastard chased me throughout half the sewers."

"Well, um, that would have been me," Giles said apologetic, "if I had known of your predicament I would have waited smashing the Janus idol."

"It's OK, G-man," Xander replied as he falls down in the chair next to Willow, "story of my life. I will probably have a sad ending as well, but hey, at least there will be symmetry."

"I will not let that happen," Buffy said and hugged Xander.

"Nor will I," Willow said and hugged the both of them.

"Ah, group hug," Xander smiled.

"I must say, I'm um, flummoxed as to why Belmovekk wanted you to wear a Saiyan warrior's costume," Giles said puzzled, "that would imply that he knew what was going to happen."

"Speak of the devil," Angel said and nodded towards the library door, "look who walks in?"

It was Belmovekk wearing his scouter and carrying a large shopping bag.

"What have you done!" Xander yelled as he broke the group hug and stormed up to the Saiyan, "you nearly got me killed?"

Belmovekk looked Xander straight in the eye and snorted.

"You? A Saiyan Elite? I do not think so young man. For one night, besides me, you were the biggest and baddest to stalk the Hellmouth."

"I'm not even talking about that," Xander yelled, "I'm talking about what happened afterwards!"

"Oh, you mean this," the Saiyan said and rummaged inside his shopping bag, only to take out a large yellow furred and horned demon head, yellow blood still dripping from the neck. Casually he puts the head on the table.

"T-t-that's a Mylar demon's head," Giles said shaken, "on my table."

"Uh, gross," Willow said as the head lies to close to comfort.

"I'll take your gross and raise it with yuck," Buffy said.

"See! You were never in any real danger," Belmovekk said like nothing was wrong.

Xander just eyes the head up close.

"Are you sure you got the right one?" he said wearily, "It doesn't look as big as I remember."

While Belmovekk explained to Xander what fear and adrenaline do to perception under duress Giles recovered from the shock of seeing a demon's head dumped on his table.

"I-i-if you knew this was going to happen you s-should have told us," Giles said accusingly at the Saiyan.

"It would have been the right thing to do, Master Giles," Belmovekk agreed, "but it would have been a waste of a perfectly good opportunity."

"An opportunity of what?" Giles said incredulously, "Mess with Xander and dump heads on my table?"

The Saiyan shook his head

"To radically increase the good Xander here."

Five pairs of eyes look surprised at Belmovekk.

"What do you mean by that?" Giles asked, "when the spell went down everything returned back to normal."

"Well, uh, not exactly," Xander coughed. All his friends start looking at him funny.

"Well, I, uh, sort of, remember stuff," the young man finished

"Like what?" Belmovekk said in a strange, almost hungry way. Like he knew the answer.

"I, uh, remember everything that guy was," Xander said hesitantly, "what he had done, the people he had killed. It's not very pretty."

"Does anyone else remember anything from their possession?" Giles asked.

"Don't look at me," Willow said, "I was just a ghost version of me. Buffy here got the whole 18th century noblewoman treatment."

"Well, I remember some stuff," Buffy said as the eyes of the room fall on her again, "mostly French words. Parlez vous Français? But it's fading fast. I can't even remember what her name was or what she was like."

"Oh, I definitely remember," Xander said, "and too much stuff I'd wish I would never have to remember."

"Saiyan Elites were the most gifted, but also the most brutal in battle," Belmovekk said sympathetic, "naturally they were heavily involved in many cleansing operations. And enjoyed it."

"Cleansing sounds so much more nicer then genocide," Xander snorted.

"Call it genocide then," the Saiyan shrugged, "it was what my people used to do. I can not wave a magic wand and change history. I wish I could. It would help me sleep better at night. But you do not have to feel ashamed, young man. It was not you who did any of it."

"That was a terrible thing to do, Belmo," Buffy said, "to give him those memories. And for what?"

"We'll see," the Saiyan said and suddenly attacked Xander. Before anyone else could react Xander moved to block the punch. The Saiyan followed up with a lightning fast kick that also got blocked.

"Holy shit," Xander said, he himself even more surprised then the others.

"It looks like you retained more then just a few bad memories," Belmovekk said as he began to smirk, then he continued the attack. Kicks and punches get traded with so much force that things start fly around from the amount of chi that got thrown around.

"Enough," yelled Giles, "not in my bloody library you won't!"

"Oh, you've definitely retained more then you thought, young man," Belmovekk said as he steps back, "I think your strength must have quadrupled. Also your technique has improved. Give me an energy attack!"

"No! Not in my library," Giles yelled again, but too late. Xander pointed his right hand at Belmovekk and effortlessly shoot an energy beam at the Saiyan who shrugged off the beam without any effort. Luckily for Giles the beam isn't strong enough to cause an explosion.

"Even I can't do that yet," Buffy said, both impressed and complaining.

"And can you fly?" Belmovekk asked.

Xander looked at his feet and started to concentrate. It wasn't easy but he knew how it worked now. Sweat started to appear on his forehead, then lift off followed as he managed to push enough of his chi downwards to lift of from the ground by a few inches. Then a big smile appeared on his face. Belmovekk nodded approvingly. It was still crude, but Xander had gotten the basics down.

"Good, very good, young man," Belmovekk said impressed, "If we work on increasing your power we will have you flying for real in no time."

"And me?" Buffy whimpered, "When do I get to fly?"

Belmovekk gave her a smile that basically said 'not anytime soon'.

"You have to learn to walk before you can run, young lady. I'm sorry. It will take some more time for you."

"It's not fair," Buffy muttered as Angel gently squeezes her shoulders, "why didn't you tell us about the spell? I could have worn something better then that noble woman's costume. Are there no Saiyan warrior women?"

"There were," Belmovekk replies as he looks lost in thought, "many Saiyan women fought in our wars. The 7th regiment had more then 30% women if I remember correctly. But unfortunately it does not work like that, young lady. You would have forgotten everything eventually. For some strange reason Xander is unique. I do not know why but I intend to find out."

"I-I shudder to t-think what, um, having two wild Saiyans w-would have done to Sunnydale," Giles said who is polishing his glasses like a madman, "no matter the benefits, the usage of chaos magic is highly irresponsible. Not something to be t-trifled with. We should have been warned so we could have stopped it in time from happening. At the very least you should have given us a warning to prepare. And how on earth did you even know what was going to happen in the first place?"

"Simple," the Saiyan replied, "one of the Necessities told me what was going to happen. I suspect it was the Dark one, it seems to have an even greater sense of quirky humor then his Light counterpart. In fact the only reason why I was told anything was to help Xander. Remember our conversation the other day, young man? We had eavesdroppers. They seem to like you."

"As to why I did not tell you guys, firstly having advanced knowledge runs the risk of changing everything when you know things will work out fine. Secondly, the Necessity forbade me too. So I took advantage of a golden opportunity. Now Xander can fight alongside you more equally. Is that not better in the long run?"

"But you had no right to do that," Buffy said shaking her head.

"Why not, young lady," Belmovekk asked somewhat surprised.

"Because I'm the Slayer," Buffy said vehemently, "it is my task!"

"Said who, young lady," Belmovekk snorted as he folded his arms across his chest, "a bunch of long gone dead guys? Fuck them! You may have been chosen by forces unknown to fight, but he chose it of his own accord. He has every right to fight for what he considers is right. And who said it should only be you? The way I see it you need all the help you can get. You need more Xanders, not less."

Nobody has ever talked to her like that who wasn't an enemy and Belmovekk's words hit her like a brick. Also hearing the formal Saiyan, who never swore, not even when she had been screwing up her exercises or done her best to drive him up the walls.

"No, it can't be," she said shocked, "I'm….."

"He's right, Buff," Xander interjected, "what he did, it's a good thing."

Buffy couldn't believe her ears as she looked in the face of her best male friend.

"No Xan," she said shaking her head, "at what price? Those terrible memories? We should ask Giles to find a way to undo what has been done."

"No," Xander said vehemently as he shook his head, "I absolutely forbid this. There will be no undoing. When I first learned of your secret and after they killed Jesse I swore an oath to be with you fighting Them until the end, Buff. I will die fighting besides you or we will go down fighting together. I can live with that or you being the strongest. I even like that in a woman, but I will not let you shut me out when I have every right to fight Them. I will not become the guy whose job it is to only bring twinkies."

"But Xand," Buffy pleaded, "you deserve a shot at a normal life."

Wrong answer as Xander changed face from seriously pleading to highly infuriated.

"You dream happy dreams of being that LA cheerleader again, Buff," he snorted, "just because that is _your_ particular fantasy doesn't make it mine. You wanna know what a normal life for Xan the Man means?"

"Hey dad, I'm home!" he said looking to the left.

"Shut up you no good piece of shit! (burps)" he said with a different expression looking to the right.

"OK, I'll go to my room. (tries sneaking to his room)"

"Why did you have to turn into such a no good loser, Alexander? All you ever do is costing me good money and hang out with your no good friends."

"Don't insult my friends, dad!"

Bam! (Xander pretended to fall over as if punched in the gut)

"You're such a disappointing waste of breath. Now fuck off! Yo, bitch, bring me another beer!"

Having stopped his little pantomime he looked at Buffy again.

"That is a normal life for me, Buff. Although these days I just pretend to get hurt. Is that what you want for me?"

"No," Buffy said sullen, "but….."

It was Angel of all who came to Xander's defense.

"Let it go, Buffy," he said.

"But."

"Let it go," Angel said as he put his hand on her shoulder to turn her around, "Xander has made his choice freely. That is more then they gave you. Respect that decision. The freedom to make such a decision is what you fight for in the first place."

"Alright," she said defeated.

Even though part of him hated it that it was Angel of all people that talked some sense into Buffy, the vampire did grew considerably in Xander's esteem.

"I really do not understand you people," Belmovekk said somewhat befuddled, "I can understand that you did not like me keeping you in the dark but if a golden opportunity lands in your lap, how can you not use it?"

"Because there are all sorts of other issues at hand," Giles said, feeling more and more worked up, "we have to consider the greater balance of things."

"What greater balance?" Belmovekk asked flabbergasted.

"The balance between good and evil," Giles said as he gestured around him, "if either good or evil gets the upper hand things will get serious out of hand."

The Saiyan's mouth falls open as if not knowing what to say. Then he gathered himself.

"Said who? No offense, Master Giles, but you guys are fighting a losing war. By the Gods, demons inhabit this world and you act as if this is natural! Where I am from the Gods themselves intervene if any demon enters our realm unfettered. I do not know of any other world in the universe where demons live as if they own the place."

"That is because demons used to roam….."

"Yeah, the earth is older the we think speech," the Saiyan said in disgust, "but guess what, Master Giles, so am I. See this tattoos? That's worth 3700 years experience of summoning demons and studying demon magic. I may not be the best sorcerer but I know my demons. And I know they are most definitely NOT from this dimension."

"Still, it's highly irresponsible."

Giles got cut of by Belmovekk as he holds up his hand.

"You mistake me for some frail human, Master Giles, because I try to be polite. But I am still Saiyan. I was not born Belmovekk, sorcerer extraordinaire, I was born Movekk, son of Rabar of the house Rabar on Vegetasei. I will use whatever weapon, whatever means, whatever strategy and whatever tactic I have to win. I would rather have sleepless nights over what I did then over what I failed to do."

"So the end justify the means?" Giles said, not liking what he heard.

"In a fight for survival? Damn straight it would. In the end there can be only one! You talk about fighting a war between good and evil but at the same time you do not seem to be wanting to win it either. You are not fighting a war, and we Saiyans know everything about fighting a war. You are just trying preserving the status quo. And a very bad one to boot. Fuck balance! My idea of war does not involve sending endless successions of teenage girls to fight alone in the dark against things that have no business being here. If it were me I would plan to win this war and either send these things packing to whatever sorry dimension they came from or eradicate them down to the last one!"

"I so dig that mission statement," Xander said in support.

"Xander, not now," Giles said annoyed, "this is."

"This is as good a time as any, Giles," Xander said, all traces of the goofball gone, "while this may go against everything you've learned, studied and trained for, but Belmovekk is right. Girls like Buffy shouldn't have to go out and die alone, friendless and forgotten in some faceless piece of chess between good and bad. Your much beloved prophecies, the one that was supposed to be never wrong said that Buffy would die by the hand of the master. And you guys did nothing because some stupid old book said so. And I proved that stupid old thing wrong. The B-man is right, you don't win wars by sticking to the rules, you win them by breaking them, you fight dirty, change the rules on them."

"Uh, look guys," Willow said, "it's late. Before we go all wild bunch on each other, how about we call it quits, right? Everything will look much better in the morning."

x

* * *

x

Everyone had gone home except for Giles and Buffy, doing a last minute patrol.

"I think we may have made a mistake in accepting Belmovekk's aid," Giles said after a long while in which they said nothing.

"That's easy for you to say, Giles," Buffy replies, "but his training has definitely given me a better chance to survive."

"I know, Buffy" Giles said as he looks around, "it's just that, um, there may be some irreconcilable philosophical differences. What he did to Xander was inexcusable."

"Well, if Xander is happy with it," Buffy shrugged, causing Giles to stop in his tracks.

"That is not a good justification, Buffy. I'm also worried where his great crusade is going to lead us. The great balance doesn't just exist for nothing."

"Color me indifferent on the great balance, Giles," Buffy said as she gestured around her, "all it has given me is a lot trouble and grief. Right now the idea doing a 180 on fate does have its appeal. For all we know the promised land lies on that other side. Didn't you hear, Giles, there are no demons elsewhere in the universe, they shouldn't even be here. To me that idea has more appeal then some stupid balance thingy."

Giles sighed and pinches the bridge of his nose, just above his glasses.

"But what if he's wrong, Buffy, and everything goes haywire?"

"And what if the Master had really killed me," Buffy countered, "or I die tomorrow in some stupid fight, all in the name of balance? What does the great balance matter to those who are dead, Giles? I say, we see things out for now. We can always go our separate ways if Belmo really goes maxi wig on us."

x

* * *

x

In the comfort of his new home, Belmovekk the Saiyan opened his big shopping bag on the dinner table and took out a bottle of hard liquor and stared long and intently at it. Then he picked it up and threw it against a wall, shattering the bottle and spraying alcohol everywhere.

"FUCK!" he screamed

He then began to pace back and forth, then he sat down and stared at the wall for ten minutes. Then he sighed and got up. In the kitchen he got a glass and from the shopping bag he took another bottle.

x

* * *

x

AN 2017: _No major changes in this chapter, except some stuff was added to the Belmo/Xander scene at the start. For some strange reason as I'm adding stuff I'm developing a cookie fetish. Other then that lots of changing things to the past tense, as it kept skipping back and forth between past and present tense._


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

 **'The mind's trip'**

x

x

AN: _This chapter was totally unplanned, the last to be finished, except for maybe 23, I'm no longer sure. It came out of Belmo's little mission statement at the end of the previous chapter and I felt something was needed to resmooth the waters. That's what you get for having a Super Saiyan strength muse armtwisting you into taking the story into unexpected places. At least it gave me a chance to bring in Beldin. ;-)_

x

* * *

x

"Yes, very good," Belmovekk said as he observed the training of Xander and Buffy, "very good overall form, young man, just keep working on the stance."

To illustrate his point the Saiyan kicked against Xander's foot and nearly caused him to lose balance. They had been training since school had ended late afternoon and Belmovekk had been riding them hard.

"It would be easier if you wouldn't keep knocking my feet from under me, B-man," Xander complained.

"I would not have to knock your feet from under you if you put them where they are supposed to be," Belmovekk said on a disapproving tone, "Torak's teeth, young man, you have improved in so many ways from that Halloween experience but your stance has suffered. Dramatically! That Elite must have been the sloppiest ever. Elites always were. To much easy power, it always made them lazy. Royal Household would have been much better for your training. At least we had no slackers."

"Then why didn't you get me a Royal Household costume?" Xander asked as he redid the form. He was getting ahead though. Prior to Halloween he wouldn't have been able to hold a conversation and do the Saiyan's exercises at the same time.

"What? I'm not stupid," Belmovekk snorted, "we are talking unpredictable chaos magic here. I knew you would become your costume and that if you went as a Saiyan no harm would befall you. The Necessity however did not specify which Saiyan. And I do not trust their wit. For all I know if you had gone Royal Household that spell would have turned you into me."

"We couldn't have that now, can we," Buffy said, still doing her form, "there's only enough ego going around for one Belmo, let alone two."

Belmovekk gave a disapproving look over his shoulder to a smiling Buffy.

"For your information, young lady, my ego happens to be very moderate for a Saiyan."

"Oui, mon capitaine," Buffy replied impishly.

"Your lucky I didn't turn into the B-man, Buff," Xander said as he observed the Slayer's form, "I wouldn't let you slack off so much. Your stance is worse then me."

"No it's not," Buffy said.

"I hate to disagree, young lady," Belmovekk said, shaking his head "but he is right. Your forms and stance are sloppy."

"I'm not sloppy," Buffy pouted, "I just like to give it my own interpretation."

Belmovekk sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes.

"Back on planet Vegeta they would have flayed the flesh of your back for such flippant behavior, young lady."

"Then its good I'm not on planet Vegeta, mon capitaine," Buffy smiled, fluttering her eyelashes at the Saiyan.

"Observe the most deadly weapon in the female arsenal, young man," Belmovekk said shaking both his head disapprovingly but also smiling at the same time.

"And what is the most potent weapon in the male arsenal," Xander asked.

"Confidence, young man. Preferably lots of it, with having plenty of money not hurting either," the Saiyan replied, then he kicked against Xander's foot again.

"Stance young man, stance! And put those shoulders a little higher. A straight back, remember?"

"Why are you riding me so hard on technique while the Buffster can get away with murder?" Xander complained

"Because while she is an experienced fighter, you are not," the Saiyan replied without batting an eye, "you may have gotten the knowledge of a lot of skills very fast but your body still needs to catch up. Which means lots of good honest exercise. And to be honest, also because I have already given up on the young lady doing anything right. I still have some hope for you, young man. "

"I feel like I was just insulted or something," Buffy said quasi-hurt.

"No disrespect intended, young lady, Belmovekk said as he corrected Xander's form again, "but you are the closest to being an Elite on this world. Elites are notorious for being difficult and cutting corners in training. They always make up for it with utter abandonment and insane power in battle. That is what makes them Elite. It comes natural to them. Us ordinary mortals have to work very hard for it."

"It must be that Slayer deal," Xander said, "enhanced strength, speed."

"Maybe," Belmovekk nodded, "although I suspect there may be more to it. I guess we will never know. Not unless we meet another Slayer. And I for one am not that curious to find out."

"You could just ask Giles," Buffy said, "I'm sure the Tweed brigade keeps records on all past Slayers."

Belmovekk looked at Buffy, then at Xander, absolutely flabbergasted.

"I think the word you're looking for is D'oh!" Xander smiled and high fived Buffy, "score one for the hometeam, Buff!"

Belmovekk tried to say something, then he changed his mind and clapped his hands.

"Anyway, gather around. New exercise, people. Now that our young man here has increased dramatically I want to integrate the both of you into a team."

"I thought we were already a team?" Buffy asked.

"Do not take this the wrong way, young lady," Belmovekk replied, "but you have a team, it is just that you are not a part of it."

"No need to get harsh, Belmo."

"I'm not trying to be harsh, young lady, I'm trying to fix things. In order to be a team you must be part of it, not just use them as a support mechanism. And you have been using them like that. Of course back then you had no physical equal. But now you have Xander. No need to go it alone. I just want the two of you to become an integrated fighting team. Able to blindly cover each others backs and fight together as one."

"So for now I'm going to drop the usual pre- and post-form spars. For the next months all we are going to practice beside our regular forms and exercises is the both of you teaming up attacking me. I will always lower my strength somewhat above yours so the only way you will be able to beat me is through team work.

So lets get to it!"

x

* * *

x

That night, on one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries Buffy and Belmovekk were sitting on some tombstones.

"You still think he's going to rise," Buffy asked. They had been sitting here for over an hour. Even Xander had already gone home, citing an important history test for tomorrow.

"Oh, he is still down there," Belmovekk said, taking another reader with his scouter, "sitting all nice and cozy. He'll come when he's ready."

"I hope he hurries up," Buffy said, "I also have that history test tomorrow."

"What is it about?" the Saiyan asked

"Something really boring about pre-industrial agrarian watchamathingies," Buffy replies off hand.

"I am an expert on pre-industrial agrarian watchamathingies," Belmovekk smiled, "I lived in one for most of my life."

"Thanks," Buffy smiled, "but I do think they meant on this world. I think I'll be able to wing it. She may have been totally useless but at least that noblewoman lived in that age."

"So you still remember?" Belmovekk asked surprised, "It has been weeks ago. I thought you had forgotten it already."

"Just enough to go for a cool C minus," smiled Buffy.

"Why set the bar sow low, young lady?" the Saiyan asked sternly, "you wished for this double life, Slayer by night, student by day. Why not go the extra mile? Surely you have some plans for after this school? From what I gather most people do need additional education if they wish to go further in life."

"I don't know," Buffy said, "I've always been so busy focusing on slaying I never got to focus much on studying. I never seem to get away from it. Besides, I'm just not that smart."

"Said who, young lady?" Belmovekk said frowning, "Tactically you're a very good fighter. Better then most fighters I have known. I would not let you plan a planetary assault but I have full confidence in you carrying one out."

"Thanks, I guess, in a very creepy sort of way," Buffy smiled weakly, "They don't test for fighting skills, Belmo,"

"Bah, what sort of crazy school do you attend anyway?" the Saiyan snorted in disgust, "Fighting should be mandatory."

The Saiyan's outburst caused Buffy to smile.

"You do know I'm attending Sunnydale High, not Saiyan High, remember?"

"Like this Gods forsaken place ever lets me forget," Belmovekk said as he looked around, "every time I return to this place I feel dirty. So, they do not teach fighting at that crazy school, that does not make you stupid."

"All my teachers seem to think so," Buffy said.

"I find that very hard to believe, young lady. There is no way that they are all prejudiced against you!"

"There was that biology teacher," Buffy said as she remembered the poor soul who wanted to give her a chance, "he was the only one who didn't think he had figured me out just from reading my permanent record."

"You see. Not everybody can be that prejudiced," the Saiyan smiled triumphantly

"Of course, he was killed and eaten by that praying mantis lady," Buffy replied, causing Belmovekk's triumphant smirk to fade, "that's the Hellmouth for you."

"The Hellmouth does not make you stupid, young lady," Belmovekk said, still not giving up, "although it does make me feel sick and dirty from time to time"

"My father always used to say that thinking wasn't my strong point," Buffy continued, "he said that I should leave the thinking to others."

"That is just one opinion," Belmovekk said, suppressing a strong urge to go forth and horribly kill Hank Summers. Some things you just do not say to a child, even if they were true. He also suppressed an urge to curse Hank Summers out loud, seeing the sense of longing in Buffy's face as soon as she had mentioned her father. The man had stopped seeing her soon after the start of the new school year, Master Giles had told him. Something about a new job opportunity in Spain. That's what Buffy had been told. But Master Giles had talked to Buffy's mother and learned the real reason. Hank Summers had met up with a new woman and was even now trying to weasel himself out from having to pay child support. And her mother, the good soul, just didn't have the heart to tell her.

Belmovekk hopped of the tombstone and knelt before Buffy as he took her hands.

"This gorgeous girl right before me could never be dumb," he said, "You just have the bad luck of being surrounded by genius. We all happen to judge ourselves in life by the people we know, young lady, not by who we really are. And Master Giles and Willow just happen to be pretty smart. It is only natural if that makes you feel any less. Take me, by all standards I am a good sorcerer. It is just that I know some really good ones who are way better at it then me. Nobody asks you to be Willow smart, young lady, but then most people are not. Just do not settle for a C minus when you can get a B minus."

"Tell me something, Belmo?" Buffy asked, as she fought to suppress a tear.

"Tell, you what, young lady?" the Saiyan asked surprised.

"Something about yourself, your past," Buffy said, "after that little Halloween speech Giles has doubts. I may have some doubts. If I must convince him I need to know you a bit better. You've always been very cryptic about your past. Tell me something."

Still holding her hands kneeling the Saiyan averted her eyes and looked to the ground.

"My past is not something I would like visit, young lady," he finally said, "it is a place of great danger, regret and many evil deeds better left forgotten. No visit there ever goes unscathed."

Buffy reversed Belmovekk's hold on her hands and took his instead.

"I need to know, Belmo," she said, "you don't have to tell everybody or everything, Belmo, just tell me something. Giles trusts me."

"OK, I will," Belmovekk looked up into those hazel eyes and sighed, " but you have to promise me that you will do better for that test. I will accept nothing less then a B now, young lady."

Belmovekk pulled his right hand from Buffy's left and put it on Buffy's forehead.

"See!"

x

* * *

x

Buffy suddenly found herself standing in what appeared to be some sort of medieval study room. Although the place was tidy it was literally filled to the brim with books, scrolls and various objects that screamed 'look at me, Buffy, pick me up, Buffy'. A window showed a tranquil vale with a single large tree in it. Behind a large desk sat a man studying a scroll. She couldn't place the man's racial type. He did however looked incredibly ancient with a long and full snow white beard. At first he didn't look up, then he gazed at Buffy and smiled, his eyes seeming looking eternally young. The he returned to his scroll leaving Buffy to fend for herself.

Fine. If he won't say anything I will have a look around, she thought. She started walking around the place, occasionally stopping to study a peculiar object. Usually in the tried and tested Buffy method of picking them up and not always putting them back where she had found them.

"It wouldst be best if thy would not try to see everything with thy hands," the man finally said.

"So he can speak?" Buffy replied as she put the object she's been holding back.

"If I must," the man said smiling gently.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"You are inside my mind," a small child suddenly said behind her, Saiyan by the look of his tail. He came as if out of nowhere as she didn't see him before. The child was maybe no older then 4 years. He looked kinda cute in his little Saiyan armor, like Xander had worn on Halloween. The child looked like how Belmovekk would look like when aged four, with a sense of child like innocence that comes natural to all children.

"Are you, Belmo?" Buffy smiled at the child as she kneels before it.

"My name is Movekk," the child replied and smiled back.

"I thought your name was Belmovekk?" Buffy asked.

"No, I am called Movekk," the child said as it shook its head.

"Then where are we, Moe?"

"You are on my pre-industrial agrarian watchamathingy," little Movekk said, "and today I'm going to remember again."

"Remember what, Moe?" Buffy asked weary.

"Everything that I was and will be again," the child replied.

"God, such a small child and already up to here in the cryptic," Buffy sighed.

"What thy sees is merely a symbolic representation, Buffy Anne Summers," the man behind the desk said, putting away his scroll, "the babe represents Belmovekk as he was on this, most terrible of days."

Buffy looked around at the man behind the desk and goes to him, planting her hands at his desk.

"OK, firstly, what is this, secondly, what's with the ancient grammar and thirdly who and what are you, and lastly how did you know my middle name, I never even told Belmo that!"

"Thou are't pert," the man smiled amused, "I can see why Belmovekk likes thee."

"If I don't get some answers, mister, I will go pert on thy sorry ass," Buffy said. She hated it when they go cryptic on her. Especially men of mystery.

"There will be no need for histrionics nor threats, Buffy Anne Summers," the man smiled, "thou are't inside Belmovekk's mind. Thy has expressed a need to know something so here thou are't. As for my speech, it comes natural to me for I am Aldur. As for thy middle name, it was revealed to me the moment thy stepped inside his mind."

Aldur? She had heard that name before, but where? Oh no, did she just... If Giles were to learn of this she would never have the end of it.

"You're the God he serves," she gasped as she stepped backwards, "but how…., if this is just a memory, how can I be talking to a God?"

"Part of me exists here, Buffy Anne Summers," Aldur smiled, "in all of mine disciples and those I have touched."

"So this is not a memory?"

"Oh it is, child, but since I am a God I exist in more then just thy dimensions. So thy are't talking with me at the same time. I was hoping we would get a chance to meet."

"You mean I'm actually talking to….," Buffy stammered

"Yes child," Aldur smiled.

Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!

"And I just….., look, I'm sorry if I just offended you," Buffy said as she lapsed into Willowesque babble, "it's just that….., well, you're the first God I've ever met."

"No need for thee to apologize child," Aldur smiled while making an 'its OK gesture' at least she hoped it was one, "thy has still a long way to go. In a way thy are't as innocent still as Belmovekk was."

"I have been called many things, but never innocent," Buffy said as she repressed a need to snort. After all, one doesn't snort divinity, right?

"Thou still hast such a long way to go," Aldur said, his smile turning slightly to sad, "I wish I could be of greater assistance in thy endeavors. Unfortunately I can'st not even bless thee."

"That's OK, I never was much one for religion," Buffy said, not relishing the idea of having a piece of a God inside her, "so what is going to happen, Al? You don't mind if I call you Al?"

"Not at all, Buffy Anne Summers, I have been called much worse by mine own brother. Come sit with me," Aldur gestured towards a seat which previously wasn't there. Food and drink appeared on the table and Aldur again gestured her to take some. As she sat down she noticed some bottles of wine.

"Uh, AL, you do realize that serving alcohol to a minor is strictly illegal, right?"

"Only on thy world, child. Besides, this is all in thy shared mind. Thou wouldst not notice any of its effects once this is past."

"In that case I'll have some wine," Buffy said as she reached for a cup, "how about the red?"

"A fine choice child, so I am told," Aldur nodded approvingly.

And so Buffy found herself talking about herself, her life, her family and her friends to that strange but seemingly gentle and likable God from afar. Aldur was especially interested in the concept of the Slayer and how they were picked. And Buffy learned a little about Aldur. How the God had forsaken human love and worship to study what he had helped creating. Learning of the great split in the purpose of the universe, handpicking his disciples for the coming battle. How he had come across Belmovekk wandering and hiding in the wild not knowing who and what he was.

"He was most strange to us," Aldur said looking at child-Belmovekk who was playing on the ground, "most who have absence of memory still exhibit forms of their former selves. Yet he would never willingly harm anyone. Which leads me to think Belmovekk and others of his kind were never really evil to begin with."

"But they killed people, Al," Buffy countered between eating some chicken, "surely that is wrong?"

Aldur shrugged and looked at child-Belmovekk again.

"Not all men of evil are truly evil, Buffy Anne Summers," he said, "true, there are't many who have chosen the way of evil, but there are't also many made that way. If thy hast lived for all of thy life in a world where all tell thee it is good to kill others not of their kind, are't thou to blame if thy kills?"

"Maybe," Buffy said after mulling it over, "but it is still wrong!"

"What is right and what is wrong often depends on who defines them, child. Belmovekk and I spend a year together traveling across our little world and I found no evil in this man's heart. Only the evil that others had put into him. So I and mine disciples took him in. And in the end we did but a terrible thing," Aldur said and looked pained.

"Which was what," Buffy asked weary.

"I restored upon him that which was lost to him," Aldur said sadly.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It will shatter his innocence, Buffy Anne Summers. For he may not have been like the babe we see here, but for two happy years inst a way he was like this child. For allst was new and exciting to him. It is not every day a man learns that he was a murderer killer, a Slayer of worlds," Aldur sighed, then gestured Belmovekk, until then playing contently, to come forth.

"Come Movekk!"

"You can't do that to him," Buffy objected as the child came forward, "that would be cruel!"

"Thou cannot change the past, Buffy Anne Summers," Aldur replied as he held out his hand, "this has already happened whenst thou civilization was still working onst thy Pyramids. Most of them. Remember thou are't now of a shared mind, therefore thou can'st only bear witness."

With great sadness Aldur touched child Belmovekk on his forehead. Child Belmovekk started to shake violently after the touch, then fell crying onto the floor into a fetal position. Without thinking Buffy knelt next beside him to comfort the wailing child.

"What have you done?" she yelled angry at Aldur.

"What he wanted," the God replied sadly, "what was needed. Goodbye sweet child."

"What? Audience is over, Al?"

"I am not going anywhere, child," Aldur replied, "but Belmovekk will taketh thou elsewhere soon. Thou are't of great spirit. Be true to thyself and thy friends. As long as thee are't true to one another evil shall never vanquish thee. And remembereth that one day the avatar of the Master will saveth the day."

BAM!

Belmovekk no longer lay in the fetal position but was on his knees and started to pound the ground with his fist. With every hit cracks appeared on the ground.

"Belmo, what are you doing," Buffy asked. Belmovekk looked up at her. He had changed. He no longer looked like a child, but looked more like he normally did, only still somewhat younger. His gaze however was nothing she had come to expect. There was nothing of the gentleness she had come to expect. Nor the steel that came out when what needed to be done had to be done. This was bloody rage and murder staring right at her. The kind she had seen so often in the vampires and demons trying to kill her. Evil Belmo grinned and pounded the floor one more time causing everything to crack into shards that fell away.

x

* * *

x

As the shards fell away the scene had shifted from Aldur's studyroom to an alien planet. Belmovekk had disappeared and Buffy stood in an alien city amidst a large crowd of aliens. They were so non-human looking that normally she could have mistaken them for demons. But to her Slayer enhanced senses they didn't feel that wrong. The architecture felt wrong though, but more because she was used to human architecture. And there was the purple sky with the final rays of a setting blue sun.

"Now I'm really far from Kansas, Toto," she said to no one in particular.

Meanwhile all the aliens were ignoring her as if she was the most common thing in their world. Probably because it was only a mind thing inside the Saiyan's head. They were all staring into the sky. There it would seem a meteor shower was taking place, the sky full of falling stars.

One in particular came directly towards their location. It grew closer and closer until Buffy could see it. Instead of being a meteor it was a spherical ship. Not even that large.

It was then that she understood what she was about to see. He had talked about it, not much though, with much scantiness on the details, but from what little he had said she recognized a spherical Saiyan space pod when she finally saw one.

"No, Belmo, please..," Buffy said as she shook her head. Seeing something was most definitely not preferable to hearing about it.

The only answer was the explosion and resulting shockwave of a spherical ship at high speed coming to an abrupt stop in a build up area about a mile away.

For a minute the dust settled, then came a series of screams and small explosions. Building after building started to collapse and whoever was doing it, Buffy had a pretty good idea by now, was coming towards her. The aliens around her started to run, followed by a wave of refugees coming towards her from the disaster area. She felt the need to do something to protect these aliens, even for them the Slayer instincts came through strong. But she finally understood the futility of fighting something that was all illusion anyway. At other places similar attacks were also taking place.

By now Buffy was swamped in fleeing aliens, when the buildings in front of her imploded from within. Through the dust a lone figure came flying in Saiyan battle armor. It was Belmovekk and he appeared to be having the time of his life. He was lobbing off energy blasts left and right and from looking left and right herself Buffy could see that other Saiyans were doing the same. They were herding these people. Undoubtedly to a predesignated killing zone.

The tide of fleeing aliens finally managed to sway Buffy along and pushed and prodded her towards what they thought was a safe point. Through alien streets she was swept to what appeared to be a large open square. From all directions refugees congregated. And from all directions she could now see the Saiyans converging as well. She had found the killing ground.

Finally the mad desperate mob stopped as there was no more space to advance to, still the pressure build up behind her as others were still being driven on. Eventually the pressure became almost unbearable. She could only guess how it was for the people in the square.

The explosions behind her abated. She could just turn her head and see Belmovekk floating behind her, a few meters above the ground. The Saiyan put his hands in front of him, armed stretched, handpalms touching.

"No way," Buffy said shaking her head.

"Yes way," the Saiyan replied. Then a massive beam shot out form his hands, hitting the masses like a flamethrower, incinerating them where they stood. The other Saiyans did the same. The screams of the dying were indescribable. Unable to move in a panicked mob all Buffy could think of was whether or nor Xander had dreams of doing this at night. Then the beam hit her as well.

x

* * *

x

She didn't feel pain. Instead she found herself somewhere else. She had seen enough of Xander's science fiction movies to recognize the setup. She was on the command deck of a spaceship. She was surrounded by Saiyans, officers by the look of it. And all were grouped around and looking at a large holographic display. Grim faces wearing scouters studying the image of a planet.

To her surprise Buffy discovered that not only did she herself now wore a scouter, she was in Saiyan battle armor as well. In Aldur's study room and on Massacre planet she had been wearing her own stylish clothes. Now she had gone fully native. Gone were her stylish shoes with moderate heels, much disliked by both Giles and Belmovekk, instead she wore ugly flat Saiyan combat boots. The armor felt great though. It didn't constrict at all, moving along with her every move as if made from rubber. She could do without its carbon dated shoulder pieces and the spandex like material underneath though.

She examined the other Saiyans. They came in all shapes and sizes. Many were female. All had that crazy black hair that Belmovekk sprouted and which defied gravity. The female Saiyans distinguished themselves from the males through their faces and a more slender figure. They all looked disgustingly healthy, fit and athletic. Many of the Saiyans wore scars, one even lacked an eye.

Now that she had a scouter Buffy tapped her scouter to scan everybody. It disheartened her to see that not a single Saiyan present was below the 2000. She wondered if she could scan herself. The device probably could but she didn't know which setting to use. Then she saw a familiar face.

Belmovekk looked older then last time, almost like he was today sans the goatee. Like the others he wore the same gear except for a large device on his left wrist and a larger scouter covering both eyes and ears. The Saiyan girl beside him wore the same gear. She appeared to be a few years older then Buffy and according to Buffy's scouter she was the weakest (or maybe least strong was a better word) Saiyan present in the room.

"Good day, scum," Belmovekk said gruffly. Several Saiyans started to snort. Belmovekk just smiled sternly and continued.

"As you bastards may have noticed this is not an ordinary mission. As some of you may have guessed our most honorable king (lots of disapproving snorts) has been freelancing again so we lack our usual comfortable billets and transports. We'll just have to overcome any temporary discomforts," Belmovekk smiled.

"Movekk, you dog," one of the Saiyans spoke up, "the food on this barge is atrocious! All we get is emergency rations."

"Then your men should have brought their own supplies, dumb ass," Belmovekk snorted uncaringly, "as did the men in other companies. I'm not responsible if your men can't plan ahead, Durkha. Fleet normally handles expeditionary logistics, but we are not with Fleet at the moment. All our generous king (more derisive snorts) can provide is emergency rations."

"Now for the briefing. The world we are going to cleanse is home to a race called the Merathri. They number in the 2.7 billion. Luckily for us theirs is an urban culture. These ten cities house over 52% of the total population. If we hit them in the first strike we will cripple their means to organize any coherent defense."

On the holographic display of the target world ten cities started to glow. Over half were on a continent on the northern hemisphere. One target city started to blink.

"This is their capital city." Belmovekk said as the blinking city turned into a map of a large city, "like always this will have to be taken out first and regardless. The Merathri character is one of both obstinate resistance to outsiders and submission to higher authority. It's a centralized culture. Which will work to our advantage. Cut off the head and the body doesn't know what to do. Failure to cut of the head means prolonged and costly resistance. Unfortunately for us the planet is well protected. Which is why our gracious hosts (derisive snorts) saw it fit to engage our good king (more derisive snorts). This world has no moons to speak of to provide us with a full moon, so Ozaru is out. On the plus side we don't have to be careful about damaging the planet too much either. We can do as much damage to the Merathri and their infrastructure as we wish. Extermination is our first and foremost objective."

"What about loot?" another Saiyan asked.

"The mission comes first and foremost," Belmovekk replied, "loot is so far down the priorities it's not even an option. Swift and deadly, not loot and grab."

"The men won't like that," the Saiyan officer snorted, "what's the use of joining the military if you can't line your own pockets?"

"If you can't keep your men under control I'm sure I can find somebody else," Belmovekk said coldly. The other Saiyan said nothing.

"We are Royal Household," Belmovekk said, "not one of the mercenary companies. The king pays us to do a job, we do it. If we do it well we get a bonus."

Then Belmovekk started to smirk slyly and tapped something on his scouter and a building on the map started to light up.

"Now of course, if nobody blows up this building, who's to say what we would find in it?" Belmovekk grinned, "it just so happens to be their treasury. Any proceeds gets split with everybody in the regiment, the usual means."

"Now you're talking, Movekk," another Saiyan said as the rest murmured approvingly.

Once the gathering had quieted down again Belmovekk continued his briefing.

"The planet's defenses consist of an orbital defense system against invading ships and a surface to space defense system to defend against planetary invasion. Their armed forces possess significant weaponry to make any organized ground battle a very costly affair. Our gracious hosts (derisive snorts) possess the means to take out the orbital defense system, but not the planetary one. There is also the Merathri fleet to consider. That is why they have been lured to a neighboring system. This will allow our hosts to take out the orbital defense system and then take up position to block any attempt of the Merathri fleet to come the end of their homeworld."

All the while the holographic display showed every detail Belmovekk was giving, as he tapped the device on his left wrist.

"Unfortunately my fellow scum, since our gracious hosts (derisive snorts) can't take out the surface defenses we are going to run the risk of braving the enemy gunfire on our descent. Projected casualties for the descent are estimated to be possible as high as 35%."

The room broke down as everybody realized the risk of such an operation. And while all Saiyans love a good fight, they don't relish dying needlessly before one.

"Everybody shut the fuck up now," Belmovekk yelled, trying to restore order to the meeting, "I haven't finished yet!"

It took some more swearing and cajoling to bring the room to order but it happened.

"I realize these figures may not be to anyone's liking but they are the price to pay for getting the job done. So would say many a commander. Now luckily for you ungrateful bastards. I'm not one of them. I would do so if I had too though, this mission is just too important."

"That's what they all say, Movekk," another Saiyan snorted, "it usually only lines the pockets of Freeza and our 'glorious king!'"

"Well, Korek, you can either trust me on this or you don't," Belmovekk said, not giving the Saiyan the satisfaction of looking him in the eye, "I don't give a flying fuck what you think. But I'm not going to piss away 35% of my strength if there is an alternative. You may be an ungrateful lot but those losses mean it will just take longer then is necessary. Especially since there is a back door."

"Ah, the old let's sneak up behind and surprise them with surprise sodomy' routine," one Saiyan said, earning a laugh from the others.

"Well spotted," Belmovekk laughed, "the Merathri control their surface defenses, or their space defenses for that matter from a centralized location. If we take that one out we render their surface defenses useless, allowing for almost zero% casualties on the descent. This way we can hit the 10 biggest population centers and decapitate the Merathri body before then can reorganize."

"And who will be the 'lucky volunteers'?" asked Korek.

"I myself will lead this attack," Belmovekk said, "I have scouted out the area and I know I can get a strike team into position to take out the base. As for the volunteers, I've selected these personnel for this mission."

"That is my best man, you imbecile," another Saiyan declared as he saw the list appear on the holographic display. Other commanders also started to object as their personnel were chosen

"If you are so desperate for him, or any of you for that matter, I can always abort this mission and go instead for the combat drop under fire," Belmovekk said as he folded his arms across his chest, "but I will make sure your pods will be the first to hit the atmosphere and mine will be last."

That got everyone's attention.

"I thought you would see it my way," Belmovekk grinned. He then proceeded to give further details regarding deployments, targets, and timetables.

What greatly surprised Buffy was the contrast between the way the meeting was conducted, rowdy, informal, full of strong language and how cold and impersonal the mass murder of 2.7 billion people was being regarded. These Saiyans weren't evil like demons or vampires always were, relishing slaughtering humans. To them it was just a job they had to do. A test of will at best. It reminded Buffy of the Nazi's in Schindler's list, who could be charming, caring even to some Jews, what one would consider normal human behavior. And then take a gun and shoot human beings as if they were mere clay pigeons for their amusement. That movie and those Nazi's had scared Buffy more then any horror movie or any demon she ever met could. And so did these Saiyans.

The meeting came to a close as Belmovekk wrapped things up.

"Alright scum, I said it before, and you heard it many times before, but this mission is absolutely crucial to our people (derisive snorts again). A lot may depend on this so let's do this so we can all go home. For the glory of our people, our glorious king (more derisive snorts), the Royal Household, and the 7th Regiment. The Fighting Bastards!"

"The Fighting Bastards!" the Saiyans said out loud.

That was the cue to break up and the various commanders started to leave the command room to return to their units. Except for Buffy, Belmovekk and the teenage girl beside him.

"Have you thought about my request?" the girl asked folding her arms across her chest.

"I have, Mayan," Belmovekk said as he leaned on the edge of the holographic display, a posture Buffy had seen the Saiyan do very often indicating mental tiredness, "and I won't reconsider. You will not join the first assault group with me. It's too dangerous. I would bring shame to our house if I were to get you killed on your first mission."

"That is my decision to make, brother," she said coldly, the she started to look at him with big puppy eyes.

Was this girl his sister? He never mentioned having had a sister before.

"And it is mine to ignore that request as I see fit as operation commander," Belmovekk said as he ignored her pouting, "you will drop with the main force near the capital and that is the end of it, Mayan. You may be my sister but you are also my adjutant. I can't have you with me on this mission even if I wanted to. You must help coordinate the assault with my command staff."

"It's not fair, brother! I earned the right to be here. I had the highest power level of my group!" the girl pouted in a way that seemed way too familiar to Buffy to feel comfortable.

"I know, Mayan," Belmovekk said, his mannerism suggesting he was close to giving in. Then he found some steel in himself and her chances of success diminished.

You will someday bring great glory to our house, Mayan. But this will not be that day yet. Life just isn't about fair. What is, is. Don't be in such a hurry to grow up, the end is not as fun as the start. Come here, sis."

Belmovekk held out his arms to embrace her and the girl responded in kind. Gently they embraced each other.

"Our father will be proud of us upon our return," he said hugging her, "his son in command of a highly esteemed mission and his little girl's first mission."

"Let's make father proud," she said, kissing Belmovekk on the cheeks and waved goodbye as she left the command center. That left only Buffy and Belmovekk, who so far had ignored her as if she weren't there. Then he turned towards her and spoke.

"She never made it back home," Belmovekk sighed sadly, "none of them did. I was the only one to escape when Freeza's henchmen came and hunted them all down. My father asked me to look out for her and I failed them both."

x

* * *

x

The scene suddenly shifted again. Gone was the command center. It looked like Aldur's study room all over again, only just different. A little more shabby, different stuff, a little more cold, same sort of view from the window, no Aldur present. Thinking about Al made Buffy giggle. This whole trip already felt like a Quantum leap episode, the next thing she needed was a deity named Al following her around giving advice. At least she noticed she had her own clothes back.

As she turned around to look she saw a bed with a figure in it. She walked closer to see who was in it. It was Belmovekk. No longer the innocent child, no longer the mass murdering Saiyan, or the commander. Just a shadow of his former self, reeking of alcohol and sleeping off his intoxication. A set of empty bottles laying on the floor. Buffy picked one up and smelled. She immediately put it away in disgust. The alcohol content must have been enormous.

"It's all he does nowadays," a voice said behind her. She turned around. A deformed hunchback sat on a chair, his hair unkempt, the weirdest combination of mismatched and disheveled clothes on him, looking tired and bored.

"And who are you supposed to be?" she asked, "Al's poor misfit brother?"

The hunchback sighed as he looked past her.

"I am but a shadow of a memory, Buffy, but my name is Beldin."

"Your one of Belmo's brothers," she said as she recognized the name, "you're the deformed one."

"Got it right, sis. I can see why he likes you," Beldin said as he straightened himself and looked at her with more interest, "yum yum, if only I weren't a memory. I can't believe you called our Master Al and got away with it!"

Beldin started to smile and curse some the most foul language Buffy had ever heard.

"I wish I wasn't a memory," Beldin sighed afterwards, "then I could watch Belgarath's head explode as I tell him how Belmovekk's girl calls the Master."

"You are the wiggiest thing I've so far encountered in this wigfest brain," Buffy said shaking her head.

"Yeah, I know," Beldin smiled, "it must be my roguish charm. Just imagine how I would actually be like in person?"

"I'd rather not, Quasimodo," Buffy replied, "So, what's the deal here?"

"Well , after apeboy here had his memory back he basically went a huge guilt trip and tried to kill himself," Beldin said and pointed at Belmovekk, "so for over a year we were more on less on constant suicide watch. Torak's teeth, I never suspected he could wallow so much in self pity. Then again, so did the mighty Belgarath later on. So I guess it was good exercise for the rest of us. Early on he took to heavy drinking to dull the pain. And we more or less encouraged it. At least a drunk Saiyan ain't a dead Saiyan."

"How long did this guiltapalooza last?"

"Oh, a few years," Beldin said, "in the big scheme of things not that long. No remorsathon lasts forever when you have forever to deal with it. Which is just as well, the bugger kept me of my favorite pastime."

"And what might that be?"

"Trying to sink a hot meat hook into Urvon's stomach and yank his guts out," Beldin grinned impishly and a vicious white glowing hot metal hook appeared in his hand, "failing that, killing off the occasional Grolim from Urvon just to keep the bugger off balance."

Beldin was grinning viciously from ear to ear as Buffy buried her face in her hands.

"Ew! God, is there anything in this wigged up brain that makes sense?"

"And that from a girl who likes to play with vampires," Beldin snorted, snapping his fingers making the hook disappear, "both on the battlefield and in the bedroom."

"Hey Quasimodo, Angel is not my boyfriend," Buffy objected vehemently, "we're just friends."

"Sure, friends who just happen to like doing the 'When Harry Met Sally' thing," Beldin replied grinning.

"No, we aren't! It's….., it's complicated right! I…, why am I even discussing this with a wigged up memory inside a very mental brain!"

Beldin grinned and jumped out of his chair and starting to somersault through the room like a 3rd rate carnival acrobat.

"Ah, come on, me darlin'," he said in a weird accent, "gives the old master Feldegast a pretty smile, will ya?"

Beldin's behaviour was starting to annoy Buffy.

"I'm going to wring your deformed neck, you freak," she yelled.

"You'd have to catch me first, darlin'," Beldin smiled and continued his antics.

Not for long however as Buffy grabbed his scruffy little neck, then pinned him against the wall.

"Look Quasimodo," she hissed, "I'm so not in the mode for your fun and games."

"You can't kill me darlin', I'm just a figment of his imagination," Beldin gasped as her hand held his throat.

"If you are just a figment of his imagination you wouldn't mind me signing you up for some anger management now would ya," Buffy smiled viciously.

"No need to get violent, darlin'. I'm just trying to liven up the place," Beldin gasped, "as you may have noticed the place could use some cheering up with mister 'I'm so sorry for myself' over there in a coma."

Buffy sighed and let go of Beldin who started to rub his throat.

"Nothing makes sense here." she said and started to wonder about the place, looking at things, the hunchback sorcerer following her every move.

"For what it's worth, Buffy, whose brain does make sense when you enter it?" Beldin said, "What did you expect, everything nicely ordered and making sense? Only a machine mind would be like that. And probably pretty scary to boot if you were inside one. Or how about an obsessive compulsive? Give me one of these nicely illogical and chaotic brains any day."

"I guess," Buffy admitted softly.

"And you got to meet Al, ze Master! That by itself is an EVENT of epic proportions. Please don't touch that," Beldin said as Buffy picked up a bottle containing some funky potion.

"Why, it's just a figment of his imagination," Buffy smiled girlishly at the hunchback sorcerer.

"For the same reason I didn't want you to rearrange my face," Beldin said, "It also happens to be a very explosive figment of his imagination."

"Alright," Buffy said and put back the potion she had been sniffing, "so I got to meet Al, big deal. It's not as if he meant that much to me before. I just heard some stuff about him. How he was so cool, and so nice and so gentle. And then I see him ripping open a man's memory."

"It had to happen, Buffy," Beldin shrugged, "he desperately wanted to know. He would have tried it himself anyway. You can't always have your happily ever after ending. Do you always have to look using your hands?"

"Sorry, it's just I have never seen any of this stuff," Buffy said as she had picked up another weird contraption.

"And its probably better you never will," Beldin said as he took the object from her, "but if I may ask, why are you here?"

"I wonder about that myself," Buffy sighed, "all I wanted was for him to tell me why he does what he does. Cause Giles is starting to get wigged up about him."

"Ah, so it is a character witness you want," Beldin smiled, "you've come to the right place, me darlin'! Have no fear, master Feldegast is here!"

WHACK!

"Auw!" Beldin complained as he began to rub the eye that Buffy had just hit, "Why are you hitting me?"

"Because you were getting annoying again," Buffy replied, "and to see if you can hit a figment of one's imagination!"

"It bloody hurt," Beldin complained aggrieved.

"Then don't be so bloody annoying," Buffy shrugged.

"It's not my fault," Beldin protested, "I'm only being kept around for comic relief."

"Don't you make me hit you again, Quasimodo," Buffy said pointing her finger at the hunchback.

"You hit like a girl though," Beldin muttered as he rubbed his eye, "Granted a girl swinging a ten ton hammer but still."

"Now, what did I say about being annoying?"

"Alright, alright," Beldin said allaying, "no need to get your knickers in a twist. Look, Buffy dearest, I don't think brother Belmovekk wanted to show you any of this. I think your little trip down memory line has been hijacked by Aldur."

"Al? What on earth is he up to?"

"I think he wanted to show you what kind of man Belmovekk is. And so he could get to meet you. And now it would seem he leaves it all to me to explain it all," Beldin said looking around, "which is typical."

"I thought you were just here for comic relief?" Buffy asked suspiciously.

"I also do exposition and advanced philosophical theoretics," Beldin grinned again, "I'm your Xander and Willow rolled into one handy deformed little package. I think it all boils down to this. Belmovekk is a Saiyan, right?"

"I bloody well hope so, Quasimodo or I have a real problem," Buffy said.

Beldin started to pace as he continued.

"Saiyans are a warrior race. Warriors tend to see things in clear black and white because hesitation will get you killed on the battlefield. Saiyans, like all warriors, live by a rigid code of conduct. That code is their life, it defines who and what they are. Are you still with me?"

"Get on with it!"

"Oh, you're a feisty one," Beldin smiled, but making sure he was pacing out of her reach, "alright. Now Belmovekk had his code of conduct radically turned upside down. As a warrior he understands that sometimes you have to kill. It's not the killing he objects to. Killing Grolims is as much a hobby of him as it is of mine. But it has to have meaning now. He wants to fight the good fight now as penance for what he did. And that is where his dilemma comes in. As a Saiyan he knew no limits other then those set by his own kind. Anything was allowed, anything was fair game, as long as it benefited them and their kind."

"Now he has gone to the other extreme. Now he has limits. But they tend to be grey. While nobody can dispute that killing a murderer when he's about to kill somebody is a good thing, what if he wasn't doing anything bad at the time? What if you know he was going to kill somebody but hadn't so far? Or if you knew a person's death could save several lives, a hundred lives, a thousand, millions? Save a world? Those are the shades of grey he is struggling with. Don't get me wrong, he can make those decisions probably better then anyone else. But he knows doubts and doubts are something Saiyans are ill equipped to deal with."

"But doubts can also be a good thing, right," Buffy said, "it means he has a conscience and isn't just a mindless killing machine."

"I don't think he ever was a mindless killing machine," Beldin said, resting his head on his hand, "even Saiyans need reasons to kill. Even they had a conscience. But consciences are funny things. You only feel guilty over the things you learned were wrong. How can you feel guilty if you've been taught from birth that genocide is OK? Contrary to what you might think values are subjective. The Master tried to tell you this. Warriors like you and Belmovekk need black and white truths. That is what makes you so good in battle. See enemy, kill enemy. On the battlefield doubt can kill. So in that respect it is a bad thing."

"But you seem to be worried about what he did to your friend Xander, on what he might do in the future. I can tell you that he did give your friend a chance to back out beforehand, but your friend still chose for it. Granted, he didn't know what he was in for, but he was given a choice. He clearly has you and your friends best interests at heart. If he feels that from time to time he needs to do things that aren't kosher or you know nothing about….., well, can you honestly say you never did similar things in your dealings? Has your watcher always told you the truth? Have you always told your watcher the truth? Sometimes we must do stuff we feel is in the best interest. Unfortunately it often backfires henceforth that famous expression of the paved road to Hell. But often it works out well, Buffy dearest," the hunchbacked sorcerer said grinning mischievously again which annoyed Buffy greatly.

"Oh! Can't you ever be serious?" she exclaimed annoyed.

"With such a beautiful girl at hand?" Beldin grinned naughtily, "Never! You don't understand, its hard being a fella. Once that other brain kicks in your normal brain becomes kinda deprived of oxygen."

"Uh, young lady?"

It was Belmovekk's voice. The Saiyan had awoken from this alcoholic stupor and looked up from his bed and pointed to the scouter on his face which mysteriously had appeared there.

"He is coming," the Saiyan said.

"Who?" Buffy asked surprised. This was getting wiggier by the minute.

"I guess this is our goodbye," Beldin grinned then grabbed Buffy by the shoulders and pressed his lips onto hers to give her a big wet kiss, "can't kill this figment once you're gone."

"Why you little…..," Buffy yelled angrily, only to realize she was no longer inside that room but standing in a Sunnydale cemetery at night. And the grave they had been waiting for was about to burst.

"He is coming, young lady," Belmovekk said and pointed to the grave. Buffy gave the Saiyan a weird out look at first. Then she realized, The clockwork orange ride was over and she was back in the regular world again.

"That was some serious wacky you put me through, mister," she said accusingly.

"Be more careful what you wish for next time, young lady," Belmovekk said, "it wasn't exactly pleasant for me either. You want me to do it?"

A hand ripped through the earth, followed by another.

"It's OK," Buffy said, "I could use a good fight right now."

x

* * *

x

AN 2017: _No big changes here. I considered adding some cookie eating but decided not too. Maybe once or twice again, anything more would be decadent. Lots of spelling errors though. I must have proofread this twice when I originally posted it. I guess I must have been dyslectic. Probably the first time I had our intrepid heroes enter each others minds. I would do that a lot later on.  
_


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

 **'The edict'**

x

x

AN: _I wonder, why does Buffy always patrol her nights away inefficiently looking for doers of fell deeds when she has most of the local demons in the series crapping their pants before her? Surely if she made the occasional example or two..._

x

* * *

x

Sunnydale High library, where else?

"Master Giles," Belmovekk asked as he entered the Library, "I would like to take the group on a little excursion."

"A what?" Giles asked somewhat surprised.

"An excursion, Master Giles," the Saiyan said.

"Yay, field trip, " Buffy said excited, then she suddenly remembered something, something Inca related, "As long as its not to another museum."

"Especially one with Incan exhibits," Xander added, thinking the exact same thing.

"There are other kinds of museums," Willow quickly said in defense off museum kind in general, "not everyone has dead mummies or magical artifacts."

"With our luck we could go to a Lego museum and find ourselves fighting some Lego demon," Buffy said.

"Lego is cool though," Xander said as he remembered all the cool things he used to make at Jesse's house. He was so caught up in memory lane that he hardly noticed Buffy waving her arms before his face.

"Xan the Lego man seems to be knee deep in flashback country," Buffy smiled.

"He and Jesse used to make quite impressive things with Lego," Willow said, beginning to smile at the memory as well.

"And did you make anything impressive with Lego?" Buffy asked Willow.

"Um, not really," she said shaking her head, "every time I tried they took over."

"Don't come between a man and his toys," Buffy smiled as Giles shook his head and turned to Belmovekk again.

"What kind of excursion do you have in mind, Belmovekk?" he asked.

"I'd like to go up north to Silicone Valley, Master Giles," the Saiyan said as he leaned on the back of a chair.

"Oh cool," Willow said with a big grin, "I always wanted to go there."

"Ah, Silicone Valley," Xander said, "mysterious land of computer and Internet nerds dating supermodels. All you need is a sex change Wills and you're in business."

"I could date a male supermodel though," Willow replied.

"Pff, those are all gay, Will," Xander said dismissively

"No they're not," Willow whimpered.

"Are there some particularly nasty demons up there or something?" Giles asked the Saiyan, "some other particular Internet infliction?"

"No, nothing of the sorts, Master Giles," Belmovekk replied, "in fact anything nasty has left the area more then a year ago. But with Buffy's training going nicely and Xander doing better then expected I would like to test them."

"I don't like the way this is going," Xander whispered to Buffy.

"Me neither," she replied.

"A test?" Giles said surprised, "What do you have in mind?"

"As it happens I happen to be very well acquainted with the owners of Capsule Corporation," Belmovekk said grinning.

"Oh, I've heard of them, they are big military contractors," Willow said, "very big, very high tech."

"Sounds like just the place for you, Wills," Xander said, "when you graduate, you'd fit right in."

"Why thank you, Xan," Willow smiled. Xander then leaned towards her and whispered conspiratorially.

"Next you're going to tell me you already own a huge Internet stock portfolio, Wills."

"I do not," she exclaimed, giving Xander a shocked look that was a little too much to be believed.

"Sure," Xander grinned.

"OK," Willow said as she caved in, "just a small one."

"How small," Buffy asked.

"Nothing much," Willow said looking very uncomfortable.

"How much," Buffy said more sternly.

"Only $12.000," Willow said sheepishly, causing Buffy's jaw to drop and Xander to whistle appreciatively.

"How on Earth did you amass such fortune, Will," Buffy asked.

"Remember when Belmovekk gave us a piece of gold each, well I took that to the jeweler and sold it and then invested it into daytrading which I check several times a day because you have to keep on top of things and I also created a worm program that manages to get all the latest info from Wallstreet brokerage firms so I know when to buy or to sell and."

"Enough, Will," Xander said and put his hands on his ears, "if the IRS comes knocking at my door I want to claim plausible deniability. Don't make me lie by telling all the details. Also, breathe."

"Anyhow," Belmovekk continued looking odd at the teenagers, "the people at Capsule Corporation have developed a very interesting device called a gravity chamber."

"What does it do?" Giles asked.

"Simply put, it can generate increased gravity forces inside a confined chamber, allowing anyone inside to experience massively increased gravity."

"I can see the military applications of such technology," Giles said, "but what good would it do Buffy or Xander?"

"Well," The Saiyan said, smiling somewhat and placing his hands together, "training under increased gravity allows a user to increase his abilities and chi power far faster then under normal conditions. On the risk of overusing my fellow Saiyan but Goku trained for several months under 10 G's and was able to increase his power tenfold."

"That's a big increase," Xander said impressed.

"It gets even better," Belmovekk continued, "by increasing the number of G's to 100 he was able to go even further and reached levels that took me millenia to reach. Prince Vegeta is even now at the Capsule Corp gravity room trying to train non-stop under 300 G's."

"300 G's?" a very surprised Giles said, "but that's impossible. He'd be quashed like a grape. Surely not even a Saiyan could survive such pressures."

"Not right away, Master Giles," Belmovekk admitted, "but we Saiyans are of sterner stuff then humans. Our home world itself had a higher gravity of at least 10 G's. I myself have already tried the chamber and experienced no ill effects."

"Which would explain the why they are such supermen here on Earth," Xander remarked absentminded. His heart wasn't in the pun as he suddenly had a planet Vegeta flashback from a life he'd never led. Something that made more sense now.

"I'm sure not even Prince Vegeta would start right away at 300 G's," Belmovekk said meanwhile, "then again, knowing our troublesome prince I would not be surprised. He always had this stubborn obsessive personality.

"Why would he put himself through 300 G's?" Willow asked curious.

"Never underestimate the power of pride, young lady," the Saiyan replied, "the desire to be the strongest consumes him and overrides all priorities. You will probably have the misfortune to meet him but that cannot be helped. I also planned to have one of Goku's friends give us a tour to some of their old battlefields."

"What would we want to do that?" Buffy asked.

"Why do historians, especially military historians study the past?" Belmovekk asked her in return.

"Because they're all tweedy and like to read books?" Buffy pouted back, the way she did when she didn't know the answer and thought looking cute and saying something cute would make up for it.

"A work program for unemployed historians?" Xander suggested with an unapologetic grin.

Belmovekk smacked his forehead with his left hand and sighed. Teenagers!

"No!," he yelled, "do they not teach you anything in this place?"

"Frankly, even I have given up on the Californian education system," Giles said casually, "but I think I understand what you mean. After action report."

"Finally," exclaimed the Saiyan triumphantly.

"A what," Buffy asked.

"An after action report, Buffy," Giles explained, "the military does it all the time. To evaluate what they did, see what went wrong, what went right, what lessons are to be drawn. It's a not a bad idea. We should do it also."

"I feel a major case of the paperwork coming up," Buffy groaned.

"Doesn't the military use after action to assign blame instead?" Xander asked.

"I'm not talking paperwork, or after every insignificant vampire. But it wouldn't hurt after a major crisis to sit back and talk things over. To see if we can learn from it," Giles said.

"I'd rather unwind in the Bronze," Buffy smiled.

"I second and third that," Xander added.

"I go where they go," Willow said.

Belmovekk shook his head in disgust and muttered something inaudible, which to Xander looked suspiciously like 'American teenagers!'.

"Do you guys not wish to reach old age?" he eventually exclaimed.

"Speak for yourself B-man," Xander said, "but its better to crash and burn then to fade away!"

"I thought you laughed in the face of danger and then hide away until its gone?" Willow said.

"Move along, Will," Xander whispered, "you're cramping my style here."

"What about patrolling when we're gone?" Buffy asked, "If the cats away, then won't the mice start to party? We still have Spike lurking about town."

"We could come up with a little pre-emptive action," the Saiyan smirked, "to bad we do not have exact locations of every vampire nest or demon rat hole. Blast this accursed Hellmouth for interfering with my scouter. Or this stupid city to exist on top of it."

"What would you do if it wasn't," Xander asked, somehow knowing the answer already.

"I would pour enough energy into the underground system to vaporize anything within the city's radius up to a mile deep," the Saiyan replied

"That would be major slayage," Buffy agreed impressed

"Part of me wishes we could do it," Xander said seeing it happen in his minds eye and liking it, "I'm sick and tired of Sunnyhell!"

"Tempting though it may be, I'm not sure it would shut down the Hellmouth," Giles said.

"Couldn't hurt to try," Xander grinned hopeful, but to no avail.

"I think it would be best to come up with an alternative strategy," Giles said dashing all of Xander's hopes, "for all we know such an attack might even cause the Hellmouth to open."

"That would be major badness," Buffy agreed. Xander wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe not right away but if he could ever approach the level of power of that Saiyan elite again, Hell itself would be ducking for cover that day.

"Can we bring Angel along?" Buffy asked suddenly, causing Xander to inwardly groan. As far as he was concerted there just was no escaping D.B.

"I'm not sure if that would be a good idea," Giles remarked, "it would be difficult to transport a vampire in broad daylight."

"Spike always managed to get around," Buffy countered, "surely we can think of something. Please?"

"Maybe we could," Giles said, incapable to withstand Slayer powered pouting and puppy eyes, but he still hoped to pass the buck and looked towards Belmovekk, "but the whole trip was, um, Belmovekk's idea."

Buffy unleashed the full power nature had provided young girls with to get what they wish for. A titanic struggle of Slayer pouting vs. Saiyan resolve of epic proportions took place.

In the end it was the Saiyan who budged and looked away.

"OK," the Saiyan sighed, "I could never resist those puppy eyes, young lady. We will see what your boyfriend is up to. Cause I will test him in that gravity chamber as well, even if I have to throw his cold carcass in there myself."

"How the mighty Saiyans have fallen," Xander sighed. He wasn't even trying to be funny.

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, Belmo," Buffy said triumphantly, "I've been teaching him."

"I know," Belmovekk replied and in doing so surprised Buffy, "his life force has been going up."

"A vampire has life force?" a surprised Giles asked, "I thought they were technically, well, um, dead?"

"Wouldn't that make them zombies, Master Giles?" the Saiyan asked, "Clearly they are alive, after all, they do need sustenance. Their undeadedness must stem from loss of soul and demon inhabitation."

"He's alive Jim, but not as we know it! So what does that technically make Dead Boy if he's not really dead?" Xander mused out loud, "Too bad I can't call him Soulless, since he has a soul."

"Correct, Xander, but whatever he is, he's still inhabited by a demon," Giles said.

"Damn," Xander muttered, "I was so fond of that name!"

"Maybe you can call him Hell Boy?" Willow suggested.

"Tempting, Will, tempting," Xander said, then made up his mind, "nah, I'll stick with Dead Boy. For tradition's sake. Besides, I like my comics. Wouldn't want to soil it by having to think of Him when ever I start reading."

"Lets get back to business, shall we," Giles said, "how to keep the underworld in check during our absence."

"We could do something radical for a change, like go on the offensive," Xander proposed, "stepping up our attacks, hit the known vamp hideouts, do some major slayage to the demons and vamps we come upon. Cause the rats to go deeper underground, so it would take them a while before they resurface."

"Simple, elegant, brutal, I like it," Belmovekk agreed, "you have made me proud!"

"Why thank you, Obi Wan," Xander grinned

"And it also irks me that thanks to you guys I now know what that means," the Saiyan scoffed.

"You've made Master Xander very proud," Buffy smiled. The Saiyan gave her a quick deathglare but she just smiled back.

"It could be dangerous," Giles said instantly, "throughout history the Slayer has always been a defender of mankind. Those Slayers that went on the offensive never lived that long."

"Those Slayers weren't trained by a Saiyan, Giles," Buffy countered.

"Pride goes before the fall, Buffy," Giles countered without blinking.

"I think they can handle it, Master Giles," the Saiyan said as he put his hand on Giles' shoulder, "I've been keeping an eye on things here in Sunnydale with my scouter. And although I cannot see deep underground, it has never registered anything bigger then the young lady here before she started my training. Even the young man here can thoroughly spoil the good night of any of the underworld's denizens."

"Giles, don't they say that the best defense is a good offense?" Willow added.

"Why stop even there? I think we should expand on it," Xander said, "I've been toying with an idea lately and the more I think about it, the more sense it makes."

"What do you mean?" Giles asked, fearing the worst. Usually Xander's ideas ranged from absolutely ludicrous to inspired genius of pure simplicity. With absolutely ludicrous unfortunately usually topping the list. And so far he didn't like where things were going.

"After we've made an example I say lets go Hellmouth on the underworld," Xander continued, "now that we can take the fight to them lets use it to our advantage. They hurt a human, we ruff ten of them up. They kill a human, ten demons die. Regardless. Unless they give us the perp. Let the underworld police itself for us for a change."

"Domination through applied terror, I am impressed! If this goes on there is nothing I can teach you anymore," the Saiyan said, nearly beaming with pride.

"Two times in a row, now this is getting scary, Xan," Buffy said.

"It will not be easy though," Giles said, "t-t-there will be many challenges and they would, um, have to be met swiftly and severely every time."

"I concur, Master Giles," Belmovekk said, "and they would have to be met and punished at every time no matter the cost to prove we mean business. But the payoff will be less need for inefficient patrolling and more time to train to improve ourselves for those challenges."

"I could have a social life again," Buffy said happily, although Xander could make a pretty good guess what that would mean.

"It will not offer complete protection, there are always the humans who like to dabble in magic," Giles said, "its not like we haven't run into them before. Remember Amy's mother? Or Ethan? And some demons will just never be scared no matter what. Or God forbid outside forces. There are many occult societies interested in the Hellmouth."

"Spoilsport," Buffy said looking at her objecting watcher.

"But those you would have to counter anyway, regardless if you keep the locals in check, Master Giles," Belmovekk said, "if you are going to do this then you should all be in full agreement. This will involve you all in fundamental ways and since I will not always be around, enforcement will be mostly up to you guys. So there cannot be any dissent. What say you all?"

"Hey, it's my idea," Xander grinned, "I'm not going to diss my own idea."

"It's worth a shot," Buffy said.

Seeing that both her friends were in agreement Willow felt no need to disagree.

"It's up to you, Giles," Buffy said as they all looked at Giles.

"I'm not sure," the Librarian said, "I mean, the idea sounds good in principle, I-I-I'm just not sure we can enforce it. Not without Belmovekk here."

"I think they may be up to it," Belmovekk said as he put his arms around Xander and Buffy, "they will have to train like madmen afterwards because I suspect it will draw in heavy hitting challengers but for now they can handle it. And if not I will step in where possible."

"Can you guarantee that?" Giles asked, still not liking the idea, "Cause you have other business to attend and you are asking me to risk a lot on this, the lives of these kids."

"You're just being pigheaded, G-man," Xander said, "because you're still thinking the whole cosmic balance is a good thing. It's not! For thousands of years Slayers have been fighting it the old fashioned way and they have been dying the old fashioned way."

"These kids could have died doing it the old fashioned way a hundred times over, Master Giles," Belmovekk said, "there are no guarantees. Xander's plan has its merits and its downsides, just like any strategy. If it works though it will buy you time. Time to regroup, get stronger, increase our odds. Even in a war where you strive to maintain a stalemate the worst strategy is to surrender the initiative to the other side. These demons must learn to react to our moves instead of us reacting to theirs."

"Come on, G-man," Xander said, "I know it must go against all your British principles to do things by the book, as it was written in the 13th century BC, but this is America. We invented the 20th century, the Duke laying down the law in Dodge City, Dirty Harry asking the punk if he feels lucky. If this works we can save a hell of a lot of more people then through simply walking the streets and having midnight picnics at cemeteries. I half suspect that most of the vamps and demons here use cell phones to keep an eye on Buffy so they can avoid her anyway. Let's leave the Bronze Age and join the 20th Century before it's over, Giles."

"Well, I suppose we could give it a try," Giles said hesitantly after much pleading looks from the rest of them.

"Alright, G-man," Xander said relieved, welcome to the 20th century!"

"Uh, guys, I think we better discuss this another time," Willow said as she looked through one of round windows in the Library doors, "I think Snyder is coming and he does not look happy. In fact he looks like he has detention face."

"OK, time to go to class," Giles said as everybody got their stuff together, "before principal Snyder comes in here looking for you guys. Belmovekk and I will continue to work on a plan of action. After school we will get together and proceed from there."

The Scoobies nodded and proceeded to leave the library.

"Hey, what did he mean by my boyfriend," Buffy said as she left the library, "Angel ain't my boyfriend! We're just good friends"

A very derisive Xander snort could be heard as the doors closed behind them.

x

* * *

x

"Bloody hell," muttered Spike to his only surviving minion as he closed the porthole cover above them, "that was too close."

"Its like Halloween all over again," the minion muttered as ash stricken as a vampire without an active blood circulation could be.

"You can say that again," Spike said. He still had nightmares from Halloween when that Harris kid had gone psycho on them and started shooting blasts of energy and chased him through half of Sunnydale's sewers. From what he learned some guy's mojo had been responsible. Some stupid magic prank. So when he did encounter Buffy's pet boy chump during this evening he thought he could get away with a little payback. Fancy his luck that the kid could still shot balls and beams of energy. He already couldn't be picky after Halloween in finding new minions but now the choosings would be very lean indeed.

Another minion approached through the sewers they'd hid in.

"Master Spike, the Slayer, the Slayer!" He looked as spooked and ash stricken as his other minion.

"What! Get a grip on yourself man," Spike yelled. He slapped the minion for good measure on each cheek.

"Now again," he said, "but slowly, what is with the Slayer?"

"She raided Willy's bar," the minion said," she killed everyone. All the demons and vampires. She even roughed up the pathetic ones."

"That is bad," agreed Spike. Something must have pissed of the Slayer mighty for her to even go after the harmless demons. And now to have that Harris kid also join in the action, exactly like he had done during Halloween, a very bad sign indeed.

"It's a bloody clampdown," Spike said thinking out loud, "for some reason the gloves seem to be off. Maybe it's her time of the month, or droopy boy told her she had a fat arse. Doesn't really matter though, only how we respond to it. You guys, try to get as many to the safehouses, I'm going back to the warehouse to get Dru and we're laying low! Real low. Now, get moving, you stupid sods!"

x

* * *

x

Giles, Willow and Belmovekk were standing on top of Sunnydale High. Belmovekk had his scouter on and was peering intently at the data he was getting. They had a foldable table with them and a map of Sunnydale on it while Willow had a wireless set giving directions to Buffy and Xander as they moved their way across town.

"Tell Buffy to move across main street towards 43rd," Belmovekk said, "I have readings of a number of non-humans gathering at the abandoned warehouse there."

"Buffy," Willow said into her headset, "baddies at the abandoned warehouse at 43rd street."

Belmovekk looked through his scouter again at another part of town.

"Tell Xander to go to the corner of main and 11th street," he said, "I pick up three non-humans there."

"Xander, baddies at the corner of Main and 11th street."

"Roger, roger," came over the wireless.

"We really should have done this a long time ago," Willow said looking up to Giles.

"I have to admit, this is working out better then I thought," Giles said as he looked over the map and the list with confirmed kills they made so far. Then he looked up at the Saiyan.

"Belmovekk, do you know where Angel is?"

"36th street," the Saiyan replied, "Buffy was right about him, she has indeed been whipping him into shape, his level has gone up by 10 points and I notice an increase in his combat efficiency already."

"You know, Belmovekk," Giles said as he joined the Saiyan, "now that you mention it, I'm sort of curious, what is your maximum level? How powerful are you?"

Belmovekk looked over his should towards Giles, then he resumed looking for vampires and demons again.

"It does not matter, Master Giles," he said evasively, "there is always somebody who is stronger, or more craftier. And then there is always blind luck."

"You are evading the question," Giles said and probed on, "you are clearly so much more powerful then Buffy, Angel or Xander can ever hope to be. I know we talked of this before but wouldn't it be better if you were helping the young kids?"

"Am I not now doing that?" Belmovekk asked, "only I can operate the mark 7 tactical scouter. And I cannot fight every battle for them, Master Giles, they must learn to do that themselves. Or be feared by their enemies. Otherwise, what would happen if I was absent? With my training they will stand a good chance in the future. Far better then the Slayers your colleagues send out to die alone in the dark. Although I have to admit it is a very Saiyan way of doing things. I on the other hand will watch, observe and evaluate. And intervene if something comes up that they cannot handle. Like any good instructor would do. Not to send kids out to die, but to send them out to get better. After this night and others like it they will feel more confident in their own abilities and their training. As a good Saiyan saying said, success has its own momentum."

"But are you sure about Xander?" Giles asked, "Surely he's still the weakest of them!"

"Xander has my utmost confidence, Master Giles," Belmovekk said confidently, "he has undergone a a marked improvement since Halloween. Right now I am worrying more about the vampire. Willow, tell Buffy that when she is finished showing off to move to 36th street and save her boyfriend. He seems to have bitten of more then he can chew at the moment. And tell Xander to move to 16th street. There is a vampire nest at the old book depository."

"Buffy," Willow smiled as she talked in the microphone, "his Saiyanness asks that you, I quote, stop showing off and help your boyfriend at 36th street."

"He's not my boyfriend," came through the wireless.

"And Xander, vampnest at the old book depository on 16th street," Willow continued.

"I'm on it Wills."

"We're going to rack up a good kill score here tonight, Master Giles," the Saiyan said optimistically, "we have accomplished most of what we were hoping to do. The coming two nights we will lay low to lull them into a false sense of security. We will evaluate what happened during this night, put the three of them through some more serious exercise, and when in two nights time the rats are starting to resurface we will do it all over again. Then we can all go on a relaxed field trip and have some fun as well."

"And after that?" Giles asked.

"Then I have some other business to attend for a while," Belmovekk said, "I will leave some instructions regarding their training so you can properly supervise it. I will ask the good folk at Capsule Corp. to make you some scouters. I heard they managed to get their hands on one a few years ago. Besides them being handy in scouting the baddies above ground they will also allow you to speak with another over great distances, so you don't need these crude headsets."

"Willow, tell everybody that once they are finished they are to proceed to the campus grounds of the university. There are some holdouts holed up in the 1st floor of the science department. They are to be careful, it does house chemicals. After that we call it a night and its back to base."

Willow relayed the orders. Afterwards she stared into the night. Occasionally a flash could be seen from near Xander's location. Then a few came from where near Buffy was as she got to Angels position.

"It will be full moon in two nights," Willow said. The Saiyan looked at her as to ponder the words.

"I reckon so. I hate full moon," the Saiyan said.

"Why?" Giles asked jokingly, "Do you change into some monster like a werewolf?"

"I do," the Saiyan said straight faced, enjoying their confusion, "when ever a Saiyan sees the reflected light of a full moon it triggers a gland in our tails. Which in turn triggers a transformation from Saiyan to a huge ape like creature with ten times the strength and firepower of ordinary Saiyan.

"Good God," Giles uttered, immediately reaching for his glasses.

"So this is bad, right?" Willow asked.

"This creature is called Ozaru, young lady. It is usually a mindless killing machine which is why it was a favorite invasion tactic of ours to invade worlds on a full moon. But if you are worried, there exist techniques which enable a Saiyan to control his Ozaru form. There even exists a technique to prevent the transformation to take place. I have mastered both. Although suppressing Ozaru is very unpleasant, I have no desire to roam these streets as one."

"You're full of surprises, mister Belmovekk," Giles said pitting his glasses back on.

"Who has not?" the Saiyan shrugged, "I bet everybody was quite surprised when they learned of your colorful past as Ripper."

"Point taken," Giles said, sudden looking quite uncomfortable.

"As for keeping secrets, as an old Saiyan saying goes, there is no shame in keeping secrets as long as your intentions are honest. I keep my abilities to myself, always keep something in reserve. Ah, it would seem that Buffy, Xander and the vampire are finished and on the way back."

Belmovekk took off his scouter and relaxed as he felt the tension of the past night flow from him. Despite what he had said to Giles at times he had come close to taking off and joining into the fray. Not just because the call of battle was strong to a Saiyan, practically singing in his blood, but also because at times it actually had been close down there.

"So it is over then," Giles sighed relieved, "good, to be honest I had my doubts this would succeed. But it's gone off very well."

"Don't jinx it, Giles," Willow said horrified, "Hellmouth, remember? Hey, do you wanna see the kill list?"

x

* * *

x

"Master, look at this," called an excited minion a few days later in Spike's hidden underground lair.

"What," an agitated Spike said. Having to hide deep within the earth for several days had done terrible things to his mood. The minion gave Spike a large piece of paper.

"What's this?" he asked.

"They're hanging these everywhere where our kind and the other demons hang out," the minion said and nodded that Spike should read it.

"Let's see," Spike said and read, " _By order of the Slayer,_ my she's getting a bit pretentious don't you think? _By order of the Slayer. From this day forward I hereby decree that every vampire, demon or any other supernatural who harms a human is hereby forfeit. Any time a human gets hurt against their will by the hands of a vampire, demon or any other supernatural his or her (or its) fellows will pay the price._ Bloody Hell! _Any time a human gets killed, turned or infested by the hands of a vampire, demon or any other supernatural I will kill as many in return as I see fit until the guilty party is handed over to me or proof of his punishment is presented._ Bloody Hell! _Any time a vampire, demon or any other supernatural plots against humans in general or bringing in the apocalypse the same punishments will apply. The only exception to these rules being self defense. I understand that I cannot punish you for crimes already committed. A line is hereby drawn. From this day forward these new rules will apply. The crackdown I applied was just a taste you can expect regularly if any vampire, demon or any other supernatural tests these rules. Failure to report knowledge of any vampire, demon or supernatural breaking these rules will be seen as aiding and abetting, resulting in severe punishment to the entire community. Compliance to these rules will be rewarded by a live and let live policy that will ultimately benefit everybody. Have a nice day, signed, the Slayer._ Is she mad?"

"This is bad right?" the minion asked.

"Of course this is bad," Spike said as he crumpled the paper and threw it frustrated into a corner, "very bad. This effectively binds our hands. If we try anything the others will rat us out to escape retribution by that bint. Bloody hell. I've never heard of a Slayer doing this. Who the hell does she think she is?"

"That's because you no longer fight the Slayer only, Spike," Drusilla said playing with her tarot cards behind him, "someone has come to change it all, someone old."

"Miss Edith been talking again love?" Spike asked as he gently sat down next to Drusilla on her bed, "last time you said someone new. Do the cards tell you anything about who this player is?"

"All Miss Edith will tell me is that he's the Child of Grey," Drusilla said smiling.

"Great, cryptic as usual," Spike sighed as he let himself fall on the bed.

"It ain't all bad, Spike," Drusilla said as she lay next beside him, "we could use this to our advantage, if we comply she wouldn't be bothering us, much."

"That is true," Spike said and a grin started to appear again, "I guess we would have to suck it up for now and play nice. Let somebody else test her edict. Bloody hell, judging by the past days she and her whelps can back it up now. Its like they are on steroids or something."

"But what about food, master?" the minion asked concerned, "surely we can't go hungry?

"I'd say order some take away from the local butcher," Spike said, "I'm sure Willy will get us some human blood eventually, we could always raid the hospital but they won't deliver for a week. So for now it's of to the butcher."

"But we're vampires, Master," the minion said not believing his ears, "we can't just drink pigs blood!"

"Do you wish to be dusted?" Spike asked.

"Uh, no master!"

"Then go to the bloody butcher, you dolt! Before everyone else has bought him dry! And get me some of those Buffalo wings to go with that."

x

* * *

x

AN 2017: _No big changes, just fixed spelling._


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

 **'Be sure to wear a flower in your hair'**

x

x

AN: _If you're going to San Francisco that is of course. Finally some real crossover between the world of Sunnydale and DBZ. Which is what's usually the purpose with a crossover I guess._

x

* * *

x

Angel's daylight transportation problems were quickly solved by the virtue of having a Capsule Corp. tilt fan with its passenger windows blacked out landing outside of town. Buffy's mother and Willow's parents had been told they were going on a camping trip, Xander didn't bother to tell his parents and just left a note he'd be late. Angel and Buffy took up seats in the back where Angel stood the least chance of accidentally catching some sunlight from the cockpit. Willow and Giles sat a few seats before them but Belmovekk and Xander took up seats in the cockpit where Yamcha skillfully piloted the craft.

"So, Belmovekk," Yamcha asked, "These the people you've been training lately?"

'Yes, they are a good bunch, Yamcha," Belmovekk said as he looked at Xander, "I am quite proud of them."

"And this is the boy that set off anybodies alarms by going Saiyan on us," Yamcha said as the tilt fan lifted off.

'The name is Xander," Xander said deadpan, "not boy."

"How in Kami's name did you become a Saiyan for a night, Xander?" Yamcha asked curious.

"It wasn't my idea," Xander said and gave Belmovekk a quick stare, "and there was also a powerful chaos mage involved. The bastard enchanted everyone's costumes with enough magic to turn everybody into the character they pretended to be. And mister Saiyan here thought it a hoot to have me dress up as a Saiyan Elite."

"Why on Earth would you do that?" a surprised Yamcha asked the Saiyan who just shrugged.

"There were good reasons," the Saiyan said curt. That of course did not satisfy Yamcha's curiosity.

"Now you really have to tell me," Yamcha said giving Belmovekk a pleading look, "c'mon, we still have a long way to go. Don't make me switch on the inflight movie!"

"Alright," Belmovekk sighed, "I dressed him up as an Elite because for reasons yet unknown Xander here would retain full memory of his possession. He not only remembered everything he did, he also remembers the skills of that Saiyan Elite. And unfortunately also the memories of everything that Elite did. Which was not a nice thing to do, I admit that. But he badly needed the leg up. He is still the weakest Saiyan Elite I know, barely realizes the potential he has, neither does she by the way, but I have better hope for him now then I did before. Given that Sunnydale just happens to be the weirdest town I have had the displeasure of coming across, he will need all the help he can get.

"You can say that again," Yamcha grinned, "when we heard we needed to black out the interior of the tilt fan in order to transport a vampire we were somewhat surprised."

"But not shaken in disbelief?" Xander asked curious, "Most people go 'what the fuck?' when you mention the dentally challenged undead."

"Are you kidding?" Yamcha laughed over his shoulder, "When you are part of Goku's posse nothing really surprises you anymore. I've fought against opponents made out of vegetables, died twice and was returned back to life twice. What's a vampire after that? Come to think of it, I once may have fought one at a tournament. Although the bugger was able to withstand sunlight. Unlike our boy back there."

"Maybe he was a vampire wannabee," Xander suggested, "we had a few of those a while back. They even dressed up like vampires. That is if you think they look like they do in cheap horror movies."

"Could be," Yamcha shrugged, "although he did try to bite me."

Xander had no answer for that. Belmovekk meanwhile wasn't thinking about vampires.

"Cultivars," Belmovekk suddenly said, then he explained to Xander, "a Cultivar is basically a creature that you can grow like a plant from a seed. Back then you could buy them and grow them if you needed something vicious and strong to fight for training, or to fight others. And if you had the seeds radiated right they would even follow your commands."

"Yeah, nasty buggers too," Yamcha said, "I had kicked its ass and won. Bastard suddenly went kamikaze on me and killed me."

"Always finish off your opponent before celebrating its demise," Xander grinned.

"Yeah," Yamcha sighed, "We should really keep that in mind the next time. Would save us a lot of trouble.

"I told you I had high hopes for him," the Saiyan grinned proudly.

"And the girl?" Yamcha said as he switched on the auto pilot and was finally able to steal some looks into the back, "she may be small but she's hot!"

"Give me a year, maybe two and she is going to kick your ass," Belmovekk said proudly, "she is my best student ever."

"I thought I was?" Xander objected with mock indignation.

"You are my second best of course," Belmovekk said without batting an eye as he patted Xander on the back, "and you are welcome to try her, Yamcha, but she is with the vampire."

"Angel is not my boyfriend," Buffy yelled from the back.

"And as you can hear, she has very good hearing as well," the Saiyan laughed, "but I thought you were with Bulma?"

Yamcha started coughing uncomfortably.

"Well unfortunately, Belmovekk," he said, "me and her seem to have hit a small bump in the road."

Belmovekk raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of bump, my friend?"

"You know," Yamcha shrugged, " the kind were women suddenly start talking about rings, commitment and marriage. The kind were all they start reading is marriage brochures, houses for sale folders and get all oh and ah at the sight of babies. The kind where they start getting angry when you say things like 'what is wrong with the way things are, honey?'"

Both Xander and Belmovekk nearly fell out laughing from their seats.

"Hey it's not funny," Yamcha yelled.

"You ARE in serious trouble," the Saiyan laughed as he recovered, "if you want my advice, either marry the girl and accept it or run like the hounds of hell are snapping at your heels."

"I hear the French Foreign Legion is still accepting recruits," Xander sniggered.

"You don't think we could...," Yamcha asked hopeful. The Saiyan shook no.

"No. Stalling will not save you my friend. Maybe Piccolo can spare you a bunk in his fortress of solitude."

"Piccolo has no fortress of solitude," Yamcha snorted, "he has no place of anything and you know that. You see more of us on a regular basis then we do! Bummer, I was kinda hoping my plan would work."

"Which is?" Xander inquired.

"Hopping into San Francisco's nightlife and dating other hot women and in doing so make Bulma insanely jealous. Hey, quit laughing you guys! It's not funny!"

x

* * *

x

Yamcha deftly landed the tilt fan at the Capsule Corp. hangar at San Francisco airport with no difficulties. A company SUV with blinded windows awaited them. To the amusement of Yamcha he got to see Angel carrying a blanket over him setting a new record on the 100 meters. After doing a quick peripheral eye checking of Buffy's ass he made his goodbyes and went off on business of his own. The Scoobies went in the car and Giles took the wheel since he was the oldest, nobody trusting Buffy behind a car wheel and Belmovekk technically didn't have a drivers license.

"Nice guy, that Yamcha," Xander said.

"Would you believe he has a max of 40.000," Belmovekk said over his shoulder, "he could wipe the floor with each of you and never even break a sweat. And he is the weakest of Goku's friends. "

"You're kidding?" Buffy said, "surely you mean a level of 40.000 in 'checking out Buffy's ass' power?"

"I never make jokes, young lady," Belmovekk said straight-faced, "surely you know Saiyans have no humor? If it was important…."

"You'd be issued with one," the Scoobies said in choir, "and don't call us Shirley."

"Seriously, B-man," Xander said, "that's an old one. Even the Marines have better jokes. And they aren't known for that."

"I cannot be good at everything, young man," the Saiyan shrugged, "so I suck at jokes, I can still laugh at a good one."

"If Yamcha is the weakest I shudder to think what the rest are," Giles said.

"Earth shattering," Belmovekk said as he patted Giles on the shoulder, "although I am still ahead of all of them. Truth be told, Master Giles, I think it is eating up Yamcha inside. Not everybody deals as good as Xander at being the buttmonkey."

"Hey, this buttmonkey has ceased to be," Xander protested, "it's an ex-buttmonkey, it is pining for the Norwegian fjords of buttmonkey Valhalladom!"

"Of course, young man," Belmovekk said giving Xander a weird look, "OK people, we have some time to kill until tonight so do whatever you like. Hit the shops, see the sights, make out, it's up to you. I will see you all at 18:00 outside the Golden Dragon restaurant. I have made reservations so dinner is on me."

"I like your motivation techniques," Xander smiled.

"And what am I supposed to do?" Angel asked pointing at where the sun was supposed to be.

"Have you ever considered taking a large umbrella," Belmovekk said with a big smirk and conjured one up on the spot and gave it to the vampire. It was almost as big as a small parasol.

"Haha, very funny, "Angel said coolly as he accepted the umbrella and only a full face of Buffy scorn prevented Xander from laughing out loud.

"Don't worry," Buffy said to Angel, "we'll manage."

Next Belmovekk threw purses to each of the Scoobies.

"Here is a little spending money," he said, "have fun."

"More pixie gold, B-man?" Xander asked as he opened the purse.

"Genuine American greenbacks and coinage, young man," the Saiyan replied.

"And what are you going to do?" Buffy asked.

"Do not worry about me, young lady, I promised Yamcha I would give him a good fight on his level. That will keep me busy until dinner time."

Even though he was looking forward she could see he was grinning from ear to ear at the prospect.

"But its not even afternoon yet," she asked, "are you going to fight for that long?"

"Yes, exhilarating is it not? I have not had a good fight since visiting Goku. We fought for two days straight!"

"Saiyans," Buffy muttered.

x

* * *

x

"You know, I've seen it once," Buffy said bewildered as the Scooby gang, they themselves had finished eating, now had to watch Belmovekk still stuffing his face, "but I just can't get used to seeing Belmo stuff himself. It's not just not normal."

"Ungee," the Saiyan grunted and continued to eat from his plate.

"I think that by now he must be banned from every all you can eat buffet restaurant in Sunnydale and around it," Xander remarked. From his Saiyan memories he understood that Saiyans required more then the usual sustenance and that dinner etiquette was another thing not issued to Saiyans. Still, knowing something and seeing something are two completely different things.

"It must be his 9th plate already," Willow remarked impressed

"I feel fat from just looking at it," Buffy said.

"Said she who supersizes every meal," Xander grinned, "the queen has been dethroned. All hail the new king!"

"Must be part of the Saiyan warrior physiology," Giles theorized, "with one never knowing when to get the next meal so they stuff themselves while they can."

"Energy replacement," Xander agreed, "Saiyans are essentially huge energy production factories. High input, high output. I have to admit that since I began training I've been known to go for seconds and thirds."

"I guess so," Giles nodded.

"I'd hate to go to the toilet after he's taken a dump though," Xander said.

"More," Belmovekk said, then pointed his chop sticks at the plates of the Scoobies, "you guys going to eat that?"

Before any of the Scoobies could answer Belmovekk had swiped the remnants of their meals.

"I guess that makes plate number 10," Willow said.

"I'll bet you $5 that he'll can eat another two," Xander said.

"I'll take that bet," Giles said offhand.

"What?" Buffy and Willow said as they looked at Giles in shock.

"What, can't I do something silly now and then?" Giles replied after getting strange looks, "we're on a vacation after all."

"Giles doing something silly," Xander smiled, 'the world is coming to an end. Just when we had some off time."

"Now what I don't understand is how Saiyans could ever feed themselves with this amount of consumption," Giles said, "if they all eat this much and they're all fighters, who grows their food?"

"Slave labor," Xander replied digging in his Saiyan memories, "they're like those Greeks, the ones who did nothing but fight and train to fight."

"The Spartans?" Giles said.

"Those yeah," Xander nodded, "they conquered their neighbors and let them do all the work. If you think about it, the analogy with the Spartans is amazing. Although they skimped on the Greek love. In fact if you were caught doing it not with the opposite sex you'd pretty much be dead."

"That is terrible," Willow pouted, "surely you can't help being the way you are."

"Hey, I didn't make those laws, Will," Xander shrugged, "neither did the big lug stuffing his face. It was just their way."

"Waiter, more," Belmovekk demanded completely oblivious of the historical debate.

"On to plate number 11," Willow said shaking her head in disbelief, "where does it go? Do you have a black hole inside you."

"Its Chinese food, young lady," the Saiyan replied, "I must confess to having developed a taste for it. It goes down so easily and digests so easily. I love it. I'm going to miss it when I get home. I must get me some their recipes."

"Are you going to leave us?" Buffy asked feeling slightly saddened. She kind of liked having the Saiyan around. With her father always absent and not having been much of a father anyway she kinda liked having some decent father figures around. The more the merrier.

Belmovekk stopped stuffing his face and looked at Buffy.

"I cannot stay here forever, young lady," he said slowly, "This is not my planet, remember? I have to go home at some time."

The answer was obviously not to her liking as she sorta began to sag in her seat.

"I was kinda hoping you would…., stay?" she finally said softly. She didn't quite give it away but even with his stomach still demanding food he could see it. The girl had abandonment issues. He knew her parents had divorced under not so good terms and she hardly ever got to see her father anymore. This society made it way too easy for parents to separate and let their children pick up the pieces. It also didn't help that her mother knew nothing about her secret life, so any problems she had regarding that life she couldn't address with a good mother to daughter chat. No wonder she liked Giles so much and now him it would seem. Or had fallen in love with an older man, even if he was a vampire.

"Tell, you what young lady," he finally said, "I will try to stay as long as possible. It does not look like I am going anywhere else for the coming years and after that, I think I am entitled to some vacation time after 4000 years of service, right? With Torak molding nicely in his cave the universe can run without me for a while. I am warning you though, I will come over and crash on your sofa for a long time. You will have to spoil me rotten!"

Buffy beamed at that idea and it heartened Belmovekk. He could see that Giles silently approved, as did the other Scoobies. And then the waiter came with more food and his stomach took over again.

"Ah, more food! Food good!"

And with that the attack commenced again.

"I'm suddenly not so sure anymore about him topping off at twelve," Xander said disheartened.

"Better get your $5 together then," Giles said.

"$10 to that if he goes to 14," Angel said.

Xander didn't mind losing to Giles but Angel…..

"You're on, D.B.," Xander said as he rose to the challenge.

"I'm going to love taking your money, Harris," Angel smiled.

x

* * *

x

It was nearly 21:00 when the car approached the entrance to the Capsule Corp. grounds. The security guards knew they were coming and let them through the gates without incident.

"OK, listen up people," Belmovekk said sitting up front next to Giles but leaning backwards, "we are going straight to the Briefs family residence, the gravity gym is there as part of the main residence."

"They live right next to their own factories?" Xander said surprised, "usually the boss lives nowhere near where the common people have to work."

"What can I say, young man," the Saiyan shrugged, "the father and the daughter like to tinker with things. I suspect that is all they ever wanted to do. The business is just secondary to them. Although it does pay their bills. But what I wanted to say is that tonight we are also going to meet Prince Vegeta. So far I am the only member of my race you guys have met. He however is nothing like me. Although I think Xander does know what to expect."

Xander nodded. Judging from the Elite's memories he was going to be quite a piece of work.

"Prince Vegeta respects only strength, never weakness," Belmovekk continued, then he looked at Willow, "I am looking at you in particular Miss Rosenberg. Know that you have my utmost respect and confidence, young lady, but do not feel offended if Prince Vegeta thinks you are something he has to scrape of his boot if he stepped into something brown and smelly. Do not let him intimidate you, just scream and yell something equally nasty back at him. He will not take offense at that. He will probably even respect you for it."

Willow nodded. She was starting to feel a little apprehensive but she showed the Saiyan her 'I am not going to take it face'. Which he approved of by nodding.

"That goes for all of you by the way," the Saiyan said, "once you have met him you will understand why Yamcha feels like the buttmonkey. He has lived with Vegeta's presence for quite some time now. Master Giles, turn left here and then it is the second right."

The car came to a stop next to a strange looking domed shaped house. It had a nice well maintained garden. A man in a lab coat with a black cat perched on his shoulder came out to meet them. He was casually smoking a cigarette.

"Well met, Dr. Briefs," Belmovekk said as he got out of the car and shook the man's hand.

"That is the owner of a multi-billion dollar company?" Buffy whispered to Willow.

"They can't all look like Donald Trump*, Buffy," Willow whispered back, "this guy holds more patents and money than God!"

(*AN 2017: _I swear I did not add this in after his election_.)

"I wonder if he has a son," Buffy whispered. Causing Willow to giggle and Angel to look at her very funny.

"Dr. Briefs," Belmovekk continued, "I would like you to meet my friends. This is master Rupert Giles, former curator at the British museum and a much acknowledged scholar in his chosen field."

"Nice to meet you. mister Giles," Dr. Briefs said and shook Giles' hand.

"Likewise, Dr. Briefs, likewise," Giles replied as they heartily shook their hands

"If I may ask, what is your chosen field?" the scientist slash CEO asked.

"Ancient myths and demonology sir," Giles replied as if they were the most casual things in the world. To his credit Dr. Briefs didn't bat an eye.

"Ah," was all he said.

"Now this fine young man here is one of my protégé's," Belmovekk continued, "Xander Harris. I have many high hopes for him."

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Xander smiled.

"Same here, young man, same here," Dr. Briefs smiled back.

Belmovekk continued the introductions.

"Now this young lady here is Miss Rosenberg. She is without a doubt one of the smartest and nicest people I have ever met. And one heck of a researcher."

"Welcome to Capsule Corp. young lady," Dr. Briefs said as he appraised Willow, "if you are as smart as Belmovekk said we must keep an eye on you. Our biggest asset is talent after all."

"Why thank you, Dr. Briefs," Willow replied. Did the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world just offer her a job after school?

"Now this is my other protégé, Miss Summers," Belmovekk said and put his hand on Buffy's shoulder to give it a slight squeeze, "at times she drives me and Master Giles nuts with her personality but our lives would feel very much diminished without it. And that goes for all you kids as well by the way."

"Great praise for such a small girl," Dr. Briefs said as he shook hands with Buffy, "I guess great things do come in small packages."

"That's me in a nutshell," Buffy answered said and reached towards the cat on Dr. Briefs' shoulder, "what a nice kitty!"

"Meow," the black cat on Dr. Briefs responded happily as she touched him.

"He likes you," Dr. Briefs smiled, his heart already won.

"And last I have Mister Angel, Miss Summers' boyfriend," Belmovekk concluded.

"He's not my boyfriend," Buffy objected, although not very vehemently, "we're just very good friends!"

"Welcome to Capsule Corp. Mister Angel, do you have a last name?"

"It used to be O'Rourke, Dr. Briefs," Angel said as he shook the hand of Capsule Corp.'s CEO, "its just that everybody's been calling me Angel for so long I hardly ever use it anymore."

"Well, now that we have met let us all go inside, its getting a bit chilly," Dr. Briefs said to Angel's relief, "unfortunately my daughter isn't present. She left at last minute notice. Boyfriend troubles with poor unfortunate Yamcha again I guess."

"I am sorry to hear that," Belmovekk said, "Yamcha did hint that there were some problems on the plane ride."

"Ah, I can't fault the poor lad," Dr. Briefs shrugged, "my daughter can be a bit headstrong when she's made up her mind. Yamcha however needs a more subtle approach. It will work itself out in the end. It always does. Have you eaten? My wife could make something if you'd like."

"$5 that he hasn't had enough," Xander whispered to Angel.

"I can never have enough of your money, Harris," Angel replied with a smile as he fondly patted his now slightly thicker wallet, "you're on!".

"That's nice of you, Dr. Briefs," Belmovekk answered, "but we have just had dinner in San Francisco. Although your wife does make the most excellent cakes this side of the galaxy. Maybe later, together with some of that excellent ice tea of hers."

"I'll tell her that," Dr. Briefs said

"Pay up, Harris," Angel whispered triumphantly.

"No way, D.B.," Xander whispered back, "maybe later does not count! It ain't over till he's finished stuffing his face."

"You're just in time," Dr. Briefs said as he lead the group through a series of corridors, "Vegeta is probably just about finished. He always finishes from the gravity gym around this time."

"If you don't mind me asking, Dr. Briefs," Giles said curious, "how were you able to build something like a gravity gym? It's not as if it's a very common design."

"Well, it was Goku who asked me to build one when I was rebuilding his spaceship at the time," the scientist replied without blinking. The same could not be said for Giles or Willow. Belmovekk just smirked at the revelation.

"You've built a spaceship?"

"Several by now, mister Giles," Dr. Briefs said, "although the designs have usually been alien. The first was Kami's former ship from Namek. That was a fast one. And it did have artificial gravity from which I took the basic design for the gravity gym. And then there was Goku's Saiyan space pod which I modified a bit."

"A bit?" Belmovekk snorted politely, "you enlarged it and turned it into a luxury liner, Dr. Briefs. I must remember to ask you to redo mine."

"Its certainly doable," the scientist said as he did a quick calculation as to what it would take, "we did it before. But I'm told the US Air force has yours. Did you know that?"

"They do?" Belmovekk said as he raised an eyebrow, "I thought it was still where I left it. Hmm, maybe I should ask to give it back?"

For somebody who had just been told that his spaceship, not the most ordinary of items, had been taken into government custody, Belmovekk seemed oddly casual about as Xander noticed. Before he could prod the Saiyan about it Dr. Briefs spoke again.

"From what I gathered the Air force has had it for quite some time," the scientist said as he opened another door, "it's in Area 51 I think. They can't get it to open though."

"Of course not, mine was a first class mark VI model," Belmovekk snorted proudly, "Freeza himself would find it hard to crack. Well, if they have my pod they must also have Goku's. I closed mine, the fool left his one open."

"Excuse me," Xander asked, "are we talking real honest to God Area 51 here? With all the alien spaceships and alien bodies?"

"No young man, they take the alien bodies to Area 52," Dr. Briefs said matter of fact, giving Xander his 'how could you not have known this look.'

"OK. Even better. All I wanted to know." Xander replied and then whispered to Willow, "if you know too much the Men in Black will come and take you away."

As she smiled Xander looked at Belmovekk again and made a mental note to ask the Saiyan about his carefree attitude regarding his spaceship at a later time.

"So, do they make you do a lot of research on Goku's ship then?" Belmovekk asked the scientist.

"No, strangely they don't seem to be doing anything with it," Dr. Briefs said in a tone that suggested it surprised him himself, "it just sits there. It's all about something called deathgliders and BC something programs these day. Occasionally we get some radical new technology that looks more Egyptian then Saiyan. If you ask me it's not that interesting.

"Egyptian looking, hmmm?" Belmovekk said as he cupped his chin and seemed lost in thought.

"You have any idea what that means?" Giles asked.

"I might," the Saiyan said, "I'll tell you about it one day, Master Giles."

They went through another door and then Dr. Briefs halted.

"Ah, here it is," he said, "the gravity gym."

The entrance to the gravity gym looked like a heavy steel door you'd find on submarines to compartmentalize and isolate sections in case of flooding. Next to the door was large light glowing red.

"As long as the light is on the room is in use," Dr. Briefs pointed, "the deeper the red, the higher the gravity. If you follow that corridor you'll find a window so you can look inside."

Indeed they did find a window deeper down the corridor. It had also a user interface panel allowing people outside the room to control the gravity inside and communicate with its occupants. The window was opaque at the moment, obscuring the going ons inside.

"Vegeta prefers it that way," Dr. Briefs said standing in front of the panel, "he likes his privacy. But this switch allows you to make it clear."

And with one press the window became clear and they could look inside. Inside a small man with the craziest hairdo ever was doing a series of exercises. Buffy recognized some of them as ones that Belmovekk had thought them or had done himself, but not all. So this was Vegeta. His hair was most definitely Saiyan, but he didn't appear to have a tail. At least he was at her height. It was kinda tiring to always have to look up to other people or hear the small girl wisecracks. He had a nice body though. All nicely muscled up in a martial artist kind of way with not an ounce of fat to be found. All the more visible because the prince wore just boxer shorts. Hawaiian boxer shorts.

"You know, B-man," Xander said to Belmovekk, "I always thought you had crazy hair but this takes the cake. The last time people wore hair like that was before I was born, in the days of punk."

"We cannot help it, young man," the Saiyan replied, "A true born Saiyan's hair grows up to a certain point and stays that way forever. A hybrid like Goku's son on the other hand keeps on growing, although it can take eccentric shapes as well."

"That must suck," Buffy said unconsciously playing with her own hair, "having the same hair for all your life. Does the same go for your women?"

"Naturally."

"What, not even the chance for the occasional coloring shampoo?"

The Saiyan shrugged.

"Hair does not mean much to us as for you hair obsessed earthlings, young lady. For us it just is. It would not do to worry about what cannot be changed. We cared about other things."

"Like who has the biggest powerlevel," Angel said causing the group to laugh.

"Precisely," the Saiyan said, not quite getting what was so funny.

"Who can come up with the most devastating attack?" Xander said.

"We had competitions for that, young man."

"The Saiyan Olympics?" Willow said.

"The Saiyan Mister Universe competition," Buffy added, who then proceeded to do a Belmovekk impression, "hi, I'm insert random Saiyan name X here. I'm running for Mister Universe. My hobbies are working out, mass murder and finding new ways to kill people. My wish is to cleanse the universe of life and blow up planets."

Belmovekk looked like he wanted to say something when Giles cut him off.

"Now you know how I feel man. Just nod and pretend you understood."

"Wise words, Master Giles," the Saiyan agreed.

"Wait a minute, does this mean you hardly ever listen to a word I say?" Buffy asked indignant.

"Talk your way out of that one, G-man," Xander grinned.

"I only pretend when you are…., um…., twisting the Queen's English," Giles said uncomfortably, "when you talk about Slayer business or personal problems I…., uh, liste …, mostly."

The last word he said nearly inaudible. But not inaudible enough.

"Hmmpf," Buffy snorted as she glared at her Watcher.

"Hey you guys, If I read this correctly this thing is set for 225 G's," Willow said who had been studying the control panel. Everybody was surprised about that but Belmovekk and Dr. Briefs.

"Vegeta must have gone up by another 5," the scientist shrugged.

"He will be able to go to 300G's very soon," Belmovekk agreed, "he always was very determined. It will not do him any good but he will get there."

"225 G's of gravity pressure?" Giles said, "It boggles the mind that a being can endure such things."

"Haven't you heard, Giles, it's the latest craze in Saiyan party gadgets," Buffy said, "oops, I guess you must have pretended to listen at the time."

"I was only joking, Buffy," Giles said exasperated.

"Ah, that fabled dry British wit," Xander grinned.

"I am sure Master Giles will pay better attention in the future if what you say makes more sense, young lady," Belmovekk said coming to Giles' aid.

"And I hope that was either the even more fabled and dryer Saiyan wit," Xander said, "otherwise would the gentlemen need some help removing their shoes so their feet can go in the rest of the way?"

"You are right, Master Giles," Belmovekk said as he and Giles looked at each other, "it does get easier if you just nod and pretend."

"A year's worth of experience," Giles agreed.

"The grownups don't want to play, Buff," Xander said and started to observe Vegeta practicing. It had been fun teasing Giles and Belmovekk and while Buffy continued he had lost interest and at least watching the Saiyan prince could provide him with some new moves. He had already identified several of Vegeta's moves and stances as part of the more advanced styles, not the basic moves and forms they were still at. But where most Elites tended to be a bit lax in their execution, Vegeta's was perfect. And not above adding many features from different styles, both Saiyan, alien and even Earth based.

Buffy had continued to tease Giles and Belmovekk but eventually she gave up as Giles shared another one of his Buffyhandling techniques with Belmovekk, ignoring her until she gives up. So she also started to watch the Saiyan prince more closely.

Who didn't look so bad. All nicely buffed up in the right places and about her height. So no looking down at her. Physically that is. She wasn't that stupid. She had paid some attention to what Belmovekk occasionally said about the man and he had never come across as a nice person. Still, it didn't mean she could steal a few looks of his droolworthy body. It didn't hurt that the man was practicing in a pair of nice boxer shorts

It was while studying his droolworthy body that she noticed something.

"He doesn't have a tail," Buffy said towards Belmovekk, "why do you have one and he doesn't?"

"It was cut off in battle, young lady."

"Was it an accident?"

"No, deliberate," Belmovekk shuddered as if he could feel the pain happening himself, "you will learn about it tomorrow from Krillin. Like I said before, a Saiyan's tail can do more then just be ornamental. Precisely why he lost it. Ah, the prince is finished."

After the Saiyan prince had finished his cooling down routine the Scoobies went back to the entrance where Vegeta finally came out, wiping his sweaty body with a towel. Although he could have looked out through the window and see them watching, it was only then that he seemed to took notice of them.

"Movekk! I see you made it in time," Vegeta grunted, then hang the towel around his neck and looked at the Scoobies, "so these are your strays you have been wasting your time on?"

"My Prince," Belmovekk said and knelt on one knee. Without even thinking to his surprise Xander found that he also knelt. Vegeta ignored Belmovekk and looked again at the Scoobies.

"Truly pathetic," Vegeta snorted shaking his head, "even Goku had more power than this bunch combined when we sent Radditz for him. Especially the redhead and the old man."

"Hey," Willow said, "I may not look like much but I drink my milk every day and one day I'm gonna be big and strong!"

Vegeta just snorted but gave just a hint of being amused.

"I think these have quite some promise, my prince," Belmovekk said and did a quick introduction of the Scoobies, although he carefully omitted Angel's vampiric status.

"Let's see," Vegeta said, "hmm, the girl has some potential. Not bad for an average human, but still, even a weakling like Yamcha would kick her ass. Then again, knowing Yamcha he'd probably like to do something totally different with it."

"Hey, bad hair day," Buffy said feeling insulted, "you may be all strong, buff and butch, but I've been fighting the forces of evil for a long time and happen to be one of the longest living Slayer in ages. You are not better then me!"

Vegeta just smirked, very reminiscent of Belmovekk. Although Belmovekk's spoke of confident arrogance, Vegeta's spoke of evil confident arrogance.

"So you're the Slayer," he said, "I knew there was a reason why Belmovekk took pity on you lot."

"You've heard about Slayers?" Giles asked surprised, then looked angry at Belmovekk, who looked puzzled back.

"Do not look at me," the Saiyan said, "I did not tell him."

"You'd be amazed what you can learn after you torture a few vampires," Vegeta said, who then started to eye Angel for a while before returning his gaze on Buffy, "I have been curious about taking on a Slayer for a while. Then again, it can't be much if vampires are anything to judge by. You talk the big talk, Summers, why don't you step in with me and prove me wrong?

Vegeta gestured towards the gravity gym door and went back inside.

"Oh I will," Buffy replied and wanted to step into the gravity chamber after Vegeta muttering, "man has the worst hairdo ever and thinks he can insult me. I'll show him!"

"Young lady" Belmovekk said and halting her, "Vegeta is not just a Saiyan Elite, he IS the elite. He knows all of our techniques. If you want to surprise him better use some of your Slayer techniques instead. You have one great asset, thanks to your Slayer abilities you will have some greater strength and speed than your power level would suggest. So do not hold back learning his weakness. He only has one, his pride. He is arrogant but feels deficient at the same time because Goku is stronger then him. So go all out, fists and taunts."

"Got it," Buffy nodded, "Saiyan techniques bad, Slayer techniques and style good!"

"Are you coming, Summers?" Vegeta yelled impatiently, "I was planning on having dinner soon. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can eat."

"Arrogant bastard," Buffy muttered fuming.

"You go, girl," Belmovekk said and gave her a playful pat on her back as he followed her inside, "Prince Vegeta, because she's not used to higher gravities this match will be in the standard 1 G."

"Whatever, Movekk, whatever," Vegeta replied disinterested as he stood there bored. Belmovekk bowed again and left the gym and closed the door behind them and appeared in front of the window.

Buffy did a few warming up stretches. Vegeta just stood there, his arms folded across his chest, waiting impatiently.

"Enough," he finally said, "let's begin. I sense you to be somewhat around the 200 as measured on a scouter. Truly pitiful, Summers. You have no idea how much I must lower myself."

"I guess I'm a lucky girl then," Buffy smiled in one of her best Californian cheerleading airhead impressions, "or are you this charming to all the girls you meet? Probably not. I know computer geeks and sci-fi nerds in Sunnydale high who know better how to score with girls."

"You are insolent, Summers," Vegeta said, "better power up so I know how far to power down."

"You are so going to get it, vegetable head," Buffy replied and quickly powered up, a weak chi flame coming to life around her.

Belmovekk always said there were two ways to approach a battle. He called it testing the waters and going all out. Testing the waters involved holding back or putting up a perfect defense to see what kind of chops the other guy had. Buffy usually preferred this method combined with lots of puns and zingers to trick her opponents into doing something stupid. Going all out was naturally the opposite, dominating a fight by taking and maintaining the initiative. Xander was showing a tendency to go for that approach lately since Halloween. But no matter which style you preferred, always keep something in reserve Belmovekk always argued. You never knew when an opponent would try to surprise you by doing the same.

"Hmmpf, just like I thought," Vegeta snorted when Buffy had finished powering up, "around the 200. Pitiful! Damn this is weak, Summers. I haven't been this low since I was a little child."

"Still not grown up then?" Buffy replied as she assumed a fighting stance, "Bring it on, your royal windbag!"

No sooner had she finished speaking as Vegeta launched his attack, a right handed punch for the chest, meant for the opponent to evade and in doing so make himself vulnerable for a spinning kick that followed and was powerful enough to tear the head of anyone. Anybody that is but a Slayer. Effortlessly she evaded both attacks and punched Vegeta in his side where he'd left himself vulnerable.

"Truly pitiful," Buffy said imitating his voice, "I've fought fledglings that did better."

Vegeta just smirked and ignored the pain. He probably barely felt it considering his punishing training regime. He immediately attacked again and this time was able to punch Buffy in the gut. She immediately followed it up by a roundhouse kick to Vegeta's head that had him staggering. Good, he thought, she could take it. Clearly not as frail as she looked. So much the better.

"Just give up, Summers," he said after a quick inconclusive series of punches and kicks, "there is no way for a human to beat a Saiyan Elite."

"I hear Goku did," Buffy said smiling her best Californian cheerleading airhead impression again.

"Kakarot is a clumsy oaf that got lucky," Vegeta said, a harder edge to his voice, "and one day I will beat him and his pathetic life will belong to me! But he is still Saiyan which you are not."

'Yadayadayada, talk is cheap, Vegetable head. Please, while I'm still young and good looking!"

Vegeta again attacked, a series of kicks and punches that Buffy was able to block and get across the occasional counter attack. Outside the gym everybody was glued to the window.

"Buffy ain't doing so bad," Angel said looking through the window.

"I'd say she's holding her own," Giles remarked, "that is until he raises his level. He doesn't seem like the type who likes to lose."

"Buffy is being stupid," Xander said, earning him strange looks from the others, "she should have listened to the B-man. He told her to attack, take the initiative, finish him off before he got on to her Slayer enhanced abilities. Not to toy with him. Yet she fell back into her old combat habits practically from the start. She's just not used to fighting an adversary who is way stronger then she is and out to really hurt her. Vegeta is already getting on to her and testing her out."

"Xander is right," Belmovekk agreed, "Vegeta seems way too reticent and testing the waters rather then taking the offensive. You should most definitely not let him dictate the game. She lost her chance to win. I will speak to her sternly of this afterwards. It would seem I have been too lenient in her training. Come next we practice I will not hold back so much."

As if on cue Vegeta suddenly changed his game. Instead of attacking Buffy directly he started to use ghost images. Belmovekk had used those on her on that first night they met. It consisted of moving very fast from one spot to the other while leaving enough of your chi behind to create a afterimage to make your opponent think you were still there. The trouble for Buffy was that Belmovekk hadn't taught her that technique yet. Back then she had defeated it by using her senses. So she closed her eyes and extended her senses, trying to sense where the blow would come. Without looking she brought up her right hand and caught a vicious kick that would have knocked her senseless, without looking she also used her right hand to block an almost simultaneous punch towards her face. She missed however the uppercut that immediately came after it and impacted very painfully on her chin sending her flying backwards. Stupid, she chided herself, he likes to use multiple combinations.

Before she could get up Vegeta already attacked again. She managed to evade his lightning fast attack from above and it smacked into the gym's floor beside her. Anybody else would have have broken their hand but Vegeta showed no signs of pain or injury. He just smirked that infuriating smirk which Saiyans seem to have patented. No sooner had she lept on her feet as he made a sweep that swept her of her legs and she fell on the floor again. Vegeta immediately brought his leg down, his foot again aiming for the face. She was able to dodge it but the heel impacted very painfully on her left shoulder and she yelled in pain. Temporarily distracted Vegeta used this to his advantage and grabbed her left arm, thus exerting great pressure on her injured shoulder and threw her against the wall. She impacted with great force knocking the air out of her. Vegeta gave her no time and within a fraction of a second threw everything he had into a punch that hit her gut very hard whereupon Buffy fell coughing on her knees. Suddenly she saw that some of her spit fallen on the floor was looking reddish.

"Buffy!" Angel yelled as he saw her loosing and made a dash for the entrance of the gym. Again yelling her name he entered the gym and made a dash for Vegeta. Vegeta just pointed his hand at Angel and the vampire flew backwards, impacting on the wall on the other side.

"Stay out of this, vampire," he hissed, "I don't know from which foul hole Belmovekk dragged your sorry corpse but this is between me and the girl. Two bands of chi appeared that held Angel's arms immobile against his body.

"Angel," Buffy yelled, seeing what happened to her lover. No more nice Buffy she thought. With part of his attention still on Angel she managed to hit Vegeta with an open hand that send him back flying.

"I've had enough of your royal weirdness," she said as she got up. With a mighty yell she held out her hands in front of her and produced a large yet still primitive energy ball in front of her.

"What? Are you going to use energy attacks, Summers?" Vegeta smirked not really surprised, "Don't play with things you cannot understand. Here, let me close the door first."

Using his chi Vegeta closed the door of the gravity gym

"Although the gym can take your puny blast the Brief's residence would suffer if the door were to be left open," he smirked, "normally I wouldn't care but I happen to live here as well."

"Oh just shut up," Buffy yelled and threw the now considerably grown beach ball sized energy sphere at Vegeta. Vegeta however caught the sphere effortlessly with a single hand.

"Truly pitiful," he said as he examined her energy attack as if were just a plaything instead of a densely concentrated ball of deadly energy, "a first year old Saiyan could have done better. I expected much better from somebody trained by a Saiyan."

He then started to manipulate Buffy's energy sphere, compressing it until it was the size of a tennis ball. He then held his right hand at a 90° angle towards Buffy and the sphere floated in front of it. Vegeta fed it additional power of his own but without letting it grow in size. Its color started to change to a frightening color of pale blue that, like a stroboscope in a disco, outshone everything else.

"Allow me to demonstrate how you do it, little girl," he said smirking and then did what Buffy thought was impossible, he smirked some more, his face a grin of pure evil.

"Big bang attack!"


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

 **'Uh, Belmo, how come...'**

x

x

 _After my first cliffhanger, the conclusion. That wasn't the hard part. The bitch was in what came after that. Luckily I had some juicy flashback stuff lying about and it fitted perfectly._

x

* * *

x

"Big bang attack!" Vegeta yelled and fired the energy sphere back at Buffy, who, partly mesmerized by the sphere's stroboscope effect and color, felt powerless to do anything but brace herself and close her eyes for what seemed like a whole world of hurt. With a loud bang and flash the sphere exploded causing the gym to shake.

BOOM!

The hurt however never came.

As she cautiously opened her eyes, Belmovekk, his chi flame roaring, stood between her and Vegeta. His chi flame having absorbed the impact of the blast.

"Movekk, this was between me and the girl," Vegeta raged angrily and started to power up rapidly. His chi flame came into existence and blew violently. Waves of chi came past Belmovekk and hit Buffy like the winds of a hurricane. In response Belmovekk raised his chi to greater heights as well and extended it around Buffy. Vegeta further increased his, resulting in the ground starting to shake.

"The additional gravitational dampers, quickly!" Dr. Briefs said almost panicking outside the gym and slammed his fist on some button on the control panel. The shaking started to stop outside the gym.

"Phew, thank goodness, Dr. Briefs exclaimed relieved, "they could have caused a minor earthquake otherwise. At least now it's contained."

"Yeah, but Buffy is still inside," Giles said concerned, "she could be in serious danger!"

"Easy, G-man," Xander said as he put his hand on Giles' shoulder, "Belmovekk will take care of her."

"Who could have thought he could move so fast!" Willow said stunned, then she pointed to a part of the control panel interface that seemed to be flashing, "What are these numbers?"

"It's their powerlevel," Dr. Briefs explained.

"Bloody hell!" Giles exclaimed seeing how high it was.

Inside Vegeta had powered up to his max, pissed off that his fight had been spoiled. Belmovekk however had raised his however just as high. He didn't think however that that would deter Vegeta. Only a real show of strength would now deter the prince of all Saiyans. So with a sigh Belmovekk raised an additional chi shield around Angel as well and decided to go Super.

Buffy couldn't believe her eyes. The two Saiyans appeared to be in a pissing contest of uber powered chicken to see who would cave in first. Then suddenly Belmovekk screamed and another blast wave of chi speed through the gym. Belmovekk's chi flame changed from pure white to goldish yellow. And his hair started to stand upwards, all of it this time. His hair also turned from black to gold. Vegeta started to howl in frustration as he saw it happen.

"Back off, my prince," Belmovekk said slowly, with a voice that bordered on sheer murder, "not this day and not her. Not ever!"

"It was a fair fight," Vegeta yelled infuriated, "I didn't cheat!"

"That it was, my prince," Belmovekk nodded, "and you won, there is no doubt about it. There is just no need to hurt her any further."

He's giving him a chance to bow out with grace, Buffy thought. She could see Vegeta was mulling it over. She could also see envy. Terrible envy. And then she realized. He can't do this! He wants to do this but he can't. This is why punishes his body trying to train at 300 G's. Even though Belmovekk did say it wouldn't do him any good. Apparently you don't get to be like this with simple training and exercise. Poor Vegeta may think himself as strong but he's next to nothing to Belmo. Buffy's attention switched to Angel. He was sitting with open mouth watching. Vegeta's chi shackles had disappeared and a yellow glow surrounded him keeping him from harm from the winds of chi blowing through the gym. Outside the gym the transformation had the other Scoobies speechless.

"What in blazes name is that?" Giles exclaimed at last.

"Belmovekk has transformed," Willow said fascinated, "he's turned all yellowy and his hair is all uppy and stuff."

"Talk about punk rock," Xander said equally fascinated. He knew from the Saiyan Elite's memories that Saiyans could transform. Into big monstrous apes that is. He even had the memories of being one. But that required having a tail and a full moon present. He thanked his lucky stars that during Halloween there hadn't been a full moon cause he was sure that the fake tail draped around his middle, like Belmovekk always did, had also become real. This golden transformation however wasn't in the memories.

And yet, as he reached deep down into the Saiyan's memories..., there was a legend. Fascinating! Could that legend be true after all?

"What," Dr. Briefs said noting the gaping mouth expressions, "you guys never seen a Super Saiyan before? Goku can do it also."

"He can do it as well?" Giles said flabbergasted. Without thinking he took of his glasses and started to polish them.

But Vegeta can't, Xander thought, realizing what Buffy had also grasped, so that's why he's been training so hard! Interesting. The great prince, surpassed by commoners. What great cosmic irony!

In the gym the stand off continued.

"What is it going to be, my prince?" Belmovekk said slowly. Vegeta mulled it over, his anger and frustration written all over him.

"Fine, have it your way, Movekk," he said eventually, almost spitting the words out, "I had beaten the girl anyway. Pathetic wench. Your doodling with these insects is going to cost us with those androids though!"

"I have every confidence in you, my prince," Belmovekk replied as he gradually lowered his power to let the chi winds die down, "you will finish off the toasters."

"Damn straight," Vegeta said and powered down as well, "now if you excuse me, I'm going to eat."

And with that he opened the door of the gym and left. Belmovekk released the force field he had erected around Angel and turned around to inspect Buffy. Angel sped towards Buffy and took her in his arms.

"Are you alright, Buffy?" he asked worried.

"I'm fine, Angel," she said as she rubbed her sore spots, then smiled at him, "Slayer healing and stuff, remember? Just some pain in my left shoulder and stomach."

"Here, let me give you a massage," Angel said and started to rub the shoulder. But Buffy wasn't interested or cared about her shoulder. She looked at Belmovekk, still transformed although the chi flame had disappeared. But it was the eyes that gave her a good case of the wiggins. They had changed from ink black to the most cool blue green that chilled her to the bone. Is this what they really are, she thought to herself. Belmovekk seemed to know her unease and knelt next to her, his eyes looking deeply into Buffy's.

"What did you do wrong, young lady?" he asked in a very cool tone enhancing her unease. She tried to look away but he shook no.

"My eyes are here, young lady," he said and pointed two fingers at them, "what did I tell you to do?"

"To not hold back but to go all out," Buffy said almost whimpering. The gaze of transformed Belmovekk was starting to make her feel very, very uncomfortable.

"And what did you?"

"Enough," Angel said," hasn't she been through enough?"

"Do not interfere, vampire," Belmovekk said, the word vampire sounding acidic, "she is in my care. She is my student, she is therefore entrusted to me. As Satiya it is my duty to make sure she must learn from her mistakes so she will have the luxury of living long enough to make new ones."

Seeing those blue green eyes stare in anger at him shut Angel up. Almost instinctively he stepped backwards, as if his inner demon recognized the presence of a superior evil and deferred to it.

"Now, what did you do, young lady?" Belmovekk Buffy asked again.

"I didn't go all out," she said averting his eyes again, "I held back instead."

"And why?" the Saiyan asked coolly.

"I don't know, he just felt like all the others I fought against. Lots of talking and posturing, slow on the action."

Suddenly Belmovekk detransformed and his eyes and hair turned to its normal black again.

"You cannot treat every baddie as if he is a run of the mill Sunnydale villain, young lady,' he said as he stood up straight, "there is bigger and fouler evil afoot. I cannot always jump between you and harms way. No matter how much I would like. I can understand your desire to know what you are dealing with first. Just do not play with what you do not know. Cause the next one will not fight so fair as Vegeta did. You cannot give away the initiative with a guy like that. Always try to keep the initiative. Did you learn your lesson?"

Buffy nodded.

"Good, young lady, then I am still proud of you," the Saiyan said and smiled again, his hand ruffling through her hair. All felt right again, scary Belmovekk all but forgotten.

"Buffy, are you alright," Giles asked as he knelt beside her.

"I'm fine Giles, I'm fine," she said as he helped her up, "I should have kicked his ass when I had the chance."

"And now you know why I used to say that I laugh in the face of danger and then run away and hide until its gone," Xander said, then he smiled," so how does it feel to be the buttmonkey for a change?"

"How did you ever put up with it, Xander?" she smiled back at him.

"Supreme patience, Buff," Xander grinned, "and lots of practice. So B-man, you're full of surprises. When were you going to tell us that you could go all Super Saiyan on us?"

"Super Saiyan?" Buffy asked surprised.

"Yeah, Buff, the Billy Idol from hell act he just pulled on everybody," Xander said as he gave Belmovekk the evil eye.

"I thought it prudent not to run around and advertise that particular ability," Belmovekk shrugged, "Always keeps something in reserve. I also did not want to discourage you guys too much. By making you feel inadequate. You have seen Vegeta. He is terribly pissed off that he cannot do it."

"Is it because you have a tail and he hasn't," Giles asked curious as he couldn't help but glance at the appendage.

"No," Belmovekk said shaking his head, "Goku lost his also and he can also go Super Saiyan. It requires several conditions, Master Giles, including severe emotional trauma. I will tell you about it later. But now, everybody out but the young lady. We came here for a purpose and it did not evolve around the young lady being a punching bag for Vegeta. Although I have to admit I was curious to see how she would hold up. Time to see how much gravity the young lady, Xander and Angel here can withstand. So I can further plan their training"

"What, me too?" a very surprised Angel asked.

"Of course," Belmovekk grinned with a big smirk, "since the young lady has been busy teaching you what I taught her you might as well get your sorry corpse tested. That way you can join the regular classes better and we get to see what a vampire can really do. There must be some interesting differences, pro and con. But for now everybody out. Out!"

As the Scoobies left the gravity gym under protest Belmovekk examined Buffy's shoulder.

"How does it feel, young lady?" he asked

"It's OK, Belmo." she said, "it doesn't really hurt."

That was a lie, it hurt like hell, she may have bruised something, but she didn't want the others to know. Truth be told Vegeta at her level hurt her more then Belmovekk had ever done at their training sessions. Where she and Xander had to take him on together while he was stronger. Clearly Vegeta had more of a vicious streak in my hand.

"I will give it a quick massage, just in case," Belmovekk said as he applied his massaging magic to Buffy's delight.

"You are the massage king, Belmo," she said as she felt the pain ebb away at his touch. Even if he couldn't teach her anything she'd pay to keep him around for his massaging skills. Planet Vegeta must have been massage paradise.

"Years of experience, young lady, years of experience."

After a quick massage Buffy felt most of her pain gone and Belmovekk explained what the plan was.

"I am going to ask Dr. Briefs to turn on the gravity room to 5 G's. Then I want you to do some simple exercises. If you can do it we will kick it up to see where your limits are. If you experience any trouble, I will be right next to you. If you say stop we will shut down the gravity. OK?"

Buffy nodded.

"Then let us do this!"

Belmovekk gave a sign to Dr. Briefs and all of a sudden Buffy felt herself getting heavier, sluggish, kinda obese. Breathing became more difficult, her heart rate went up.

"Breathe, young lady, just breath," Belmovekk's voice said.

"That's easy for you to say," she bit back panting heavily.

"Why?" Belmovekk asked as he looked relaxed, "I am right beside you sharing the experience. To tell you the truth this feels quite comfortable to me. Planet Vegeta had a gravity of 10 G's remember?"

"See, easy for you to say," Buffy snorted, "OK, breathe."

If she just focused on her breathing it wasn't so bad. Taking it slow was good. At 5 G's slow felt good. Then suddenly Belmovekk started to jump around like a pogo ball with a big goofy grin on his face.

"You know, that doesn't help," Buffy said slightly annoyed.

"Ah, young lady, you have no idea how good this feels to experience some gravity again," the Saiyan smiled with a huge beatific smile, "if I could I would install it throughout my entire house. But if it bothers you I will stop."

"It's OK," she said, "I think I'm used to it now."

"What, me jumping around?" Belmovekk asked.

"No, the gravity, silly!"

Belmovekk ceased his silliness immediately.

"Already," he said impressed, "those Slayer skills are quite impressive indeed. Now do the first kata I have taught you. In a tempo that you feel comfortable with. "

Buffy did as was required. It wasn't a quick workout, so slow in fact probably Willow could have done it, but still quick enough for Belmovekk to nod approvingly.

"Not bad, young lady, not bad at all. How do you feel?"

"Like I weigh 300 pounds," Buffy said wiping the sweat of her face.

"That's what additional gravity does, young lady. And before you even think to ask it, no, it does not make you look fat. You are doing quite good actually. I think you are ready for the next step."

"Which is?"

"10 G's, young lady," Belmovekk smirked as he nodded towards the window.

x

* * *

x

In the end Buffy was still able to walk a few steps at 19 G with Belmovekk looking very proud of his protégé. It didn't look graceful, extremely the opposite in fact. While Giles had started muttering with the decision to go beyond 10 G's Belmovekk had never any doubts in her. And Buffy seemed quite eager to test her limits as well.

Next up was Angel. Angel was quite unique in that he didn't suffer from high G's as much as normal humans. With the living high G's interfered with the flow of blood to the brain, a handicap Angel didn't suffer. So Angel had less need to adjust first before being able to do something At 10 G's he could even outperform Buffy although he did indicate that the high gravity started to make him feel queasy.

It was only when Xander underwent the test that everybody was surprised. The youngster was able to withstand and slowly walk in up 13 G's before collapsing.

.

"To be honest young man," Belmovekk said as he knelt beside him, "I thought you would pass out at 10. It takes a rare breed of human to withstand high G's. Which is why your army values fighter pilots so much."

"Well, I may no be Buffy or Dead Boy," Xander panted heavily, "and I will not say that 10 G was all nice and stuff, but it certainly was quite tolerable."

"Maybe its an after effect of the Halloween possession," the Saiyan nodded, "maybe you got even more out of it then we thought."

"Ain't I the lucky one," Xander replied not feeling lucky at all as he got up.

"Or maybe, just maybe you are special in some way," Belmovekk theorized, "after all, the Halloween enchantment only stuck for you."

"I wasn't very special before," Xander replied, "buttmonkey, remember?"

"Maybe you are like a gemstone that needs to be cut in order to bring out the best possible shine," Belmovekk shrugged, "anyway I think I might change your training regime because if this.

"You're going to build one, aren't you?" Xander said changing the subject, "You're going to build a gravity gym! That's why you got that warehouse in the first place."

"Is that true?" Giles asked over the intercom.

"The kids need every advantage they can get, Master Giles," Belmovekk said smirking, "you have seen Vegeta. He may be an arrogant, murdering bastard but for now he is on the good side. One day they may have to face an enemy of that strength. I would be a poor instructor if I were to let it happen. And to be honest, I would not mind using it myself as well. I have missed planet Vegeta's comfortable gravity. It is already been ordered and paid for."

"Gravitalicious," sighed Xander as he reached for a towel. High gravity made him sweat more then a sauna.

x

* * *

x

That night the Scoobies were given comfortable beds in the Brief's guest quarters. Vegeta also had a room somewhere there and could be overheard snoring loudly.

The group met up at Giles' room to talk things over. Especially Belmovekk's golden transformation.

"Look, it works like this," Belmovekk said as he sat on a chair reversed, resting his arms on the back, "Saiyans normally transform into giant apes. That has been the case since way back. There was however a legend."

"The One," Xander said from his Saiyan memories, then added a little Xander twist, "how come there is always a legend about a One? Never about the Fabled Two, the Fabulous Three, the Fantastic Four?"

"It probably confuses the Gods and minstrels loathe there being more," Belmovekk said annoyed, "how would I know, young man? Anyway, the legend of the Super Saiyan. It was fabled amongst our kind that once there had been a Saiyan who managed to grow so powerful that when he transformed into Ozaru he could go even further."

"I remember now," Xander said digging in his Saiyan memories, "the golden Ozaru, immensely strong. Also immensely out of whack. The legend goes on that when he was able to do that he blew up the world where he'd been on and died with it."

"There is another version, young man," Belmovekk said, "less common, one that said that the Gods taught it to open a dimensional portal and get out to safety. To return in our greatest hour of need."

"Must be that other part Gods and minstrels love," Xander said, "your world is busted. What greater hour of need could there be?"

"Many cultures have such legends, Xander," Giles said, "especially the down trodden ones. I have to say, I still shudder to hear that there are beings who can blow up a planet."

"It's seriously freaking me out as well," Willow said.

"You look quite cool though for somebody who's freaking out, Wills," Xander said as he put his arm around Willow.

"That's because I'm wearing my 'I'm too shocked to freak out' face," she said stone faced, "underneath I'm sitting in the Nile. The water is warm and there aren't any crocodiles in sight."

"Have a nice stay, Wills," Xander smiled and patted her on the back, "send us a post card and return to us when you're ready."

"I will," Willow smiled.

"Well there are demons fabled to be able to destroy the Earth," Angel added, "The Old Ones for sure. I'm a bit rusty on my demon lore but give me some time and I can surely research a few."

"Hello, not helping here," Willow said pointing towards herself.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to add to your discomfort."

"It's OK, Angel," Willow smiled dreamily, "the Nile water still feels very comforting."

"I think somebody is abusing the God-given gifts of repression and denial," Angel couldn't help but remark.

"It served us well in the past," Xander shrugged.

Let's get back on subject, shall we please," Giles said, fearing another Scooby sidetrack, "before we're all getting lost finding the source of the Nile."

"You told us about the ozone ape thing," Buffy said to Belmovekk, "but you didn't do the ozone ape thing, you need a full moon for that. This other thing you can do it anytime you want to."

"And with remarkable control too," Xander said, eyeing the Saiyan, "Based on my fun packed memories I got from your little stunt the legend said the Super Saiyan was crazy as a loon. And also Ozaru."

"That is because the legend was wrong, young man," Belmovekk said looking downward, "Not only did it say that once a Saiyan managed to reach this condition, it also said once every thousand years a new Super Saiyan would come about. No Super Saiyan ever emerged on planet Vegeta during our recorded history. People have sought it. Whole religious orders have sprung out trying to find the way to become it. All to no avail. "

"And then it happened to me, which really confused the hell out of me. Were the legends true after all? Was there truth to the myth? Since I believed myself the only Saiyan still alive for a while I thought it was true. And then I met Goku and I heard about future guy and I knew it was just a legend. And that the legend was wrong. Probably perverted along the way. It is not a mythical condition, I know firmly believe any Saiyan can reach this condition under the right circumstances."

"So how did it happen?" Giles asked, "The right circumstances that is."

"My story happened half a century ago," the Saiyan told, "I was fighting a God and I was losing badly. I mean the kind where somebody is dipping your head in a spittoon and then using your head to mop the floor with."

"I know that feeling," Xander smiled, "usually just before Buffy has to come in and save my ass."

"You're welcome for it, Xander," Buffy smiled back.

"Hey, credit where credit is due, Buff," Xander said smirking, "but no more buttmonkey for this guy, missy."

And then Belmovekk proceeded to tell his story.

x

* * *

x

(From the memoirs of Belgarath the Sorcerer; time, the great Angarak invasion of the West, the sacking of the Drasnian capital Boktor)

And so it had come to pass that in the ruins of Boktor Belmovekk and Torak finally squared off. Beldin and I watched it all as a pair of scavenging birds sitting on a tree. With all the death and mayhem caused by Torak's massive invasion who'd notice a pair of scavengers? The mad god Torak just stood there, with that iron mask of his covering the wounds that he had received from the Orb when he'd cracked the earth.

"So thou hast come to me, man from the stars," he boomed, "come to take thy place amongst my disciples as has been ordained thousands of years ago!"

So that was Torak's plan again. He wanted to do to Belmovekk what he had done to Zedar, subvert him into his service. For a God he never really was that imaginative. Even a plagiarist. He had even copied his tower in Chtol Mishrak and his disciples from Aldur. He always came with brute force, even his priesthood lacked imagination. Their horrible rites of course had never changed in 7000 years. Strangely enough though he had not yet released the power of his Will upon Belmovekk.

" _We must help him,"_ I thought to Beldin. Before he could answer however I heard that dry voice again.

" _You will do nothing of the kind, Belgarath, watch and see!"_

" _Are you kidding? Belmovekk will get clobbered!_ " I interjected.

" _Just watch and do nothing, no matter how bleak it looks. Have faith in your brother. The universe knows how much I had to put in you!"_ That ended that discussion. As usual the Necessity never passed a chance to put a little insult to injury. Meanwhile Belmovekk had put on his familiar smirk and assumed his powering up position.

"Its time you felt some horror yourself, Kal Torak," he said as dust started to whirl, "it is payback time for the crimes that you and your perverted priests have unleashed upon this world."

Torak just smiled back. It ticked off Belmovekk as he had began to power up. Seeing Belmovekk powering up never bores me. That man has some serious power within in him.

In a way it was just like the time he had leveled Rak Chtol, the white aura appeared around him, pieces of earth started to rise up and we could feel his power rising. Already the ground started to shake.

" _Holy shit!"_ Beldin thought who was less lost in admiration, _"Has he been hitting the weights again? His power is enormous!"_

" _You did not see him in Rak Chtol, brother,"_ I thought, _"this is nothing yet. He's taking his sweet time though."_

" _It gets worse?"_ Beldin mentally gasped.

I nodded.

By now the ground started to shake more violently, Belmovekk's aura started to expand and consumed everything it touched.

" _He's tearing the world apart, Belgarath,"_ Beldin thought in minor panic.

I was starting to get worried as well. Belmovekk's power started to get far above what he had displayed in Rak Chtol and it continued to rise. Lightning started to appear, dark clouds, massive winds, he was starting to wreak havoc with the weather. Damn, that would mean overtime clearing it up afterwards.

" _I can't maintain my form like this any longer, Belgarath,"_ Beldin thought as violent winds struck him head on and dropped him to the ground, but before that he was pushed back a hundred yards. On the ground he changed back to human form and clung to the dirt for all his life. I did the same, and ended up next to him. This was getting freaky. I later learned that there was freak weather as far south as Nyissa and as far east as Ancient Mallorea itself.

And then it stopped. I dared to look up and saw Belmovekk's white aura shimmering violently as if he glowed. He must have leveled all the land within a radius of a mile. Immediately the weather stopped getting worse and began to improve.

"Interesting," Beldin said, forever the scholar, "his power created some sort of low level pressure above him, sucking in everything within lord knows how many miles but at ground level a huge high pressure gets created blowing everything in its path."

"Can we discuss the weather dynamics another time, Beldin?" I growled, "We have different things on our mind right now."

"But I've never seen anything like it, Belgarath," Beldin complained as he gestured to our fellow sorcerer, "maybe you're all blasé about this but for me it's the most interesting phenomenon since the cracking of the world."

I didn't bother a reply and just gestured him to shut up. We were in occupied territory after all.

Meanwhile Belmovekk slowly lifted himself up into the sky, hands outstretched. Above his head he was building a globe of pure chi fire.

"Good," Beldin said approving of our brother's tactics, "ol'Burntface always was afraid of fire. This should yank his monkey."

Slowly however, much to our surprise, Torak also rose into the sky.

"I didn't know he could do that," Beldin said wide eyed, then he looked at me, "Did you know he could do that too?"

"Puny insect," the mad God of Angarak boomed, "dost thy think thy puny lightshow would impress me, thou are pert, boy. For I am a God!"

The Angarak God's voice thundered across the ruins of Boktor to his waiting masses of troops on the outskirts of the battle area and they started to cheer. Belmovekk just smirked and hurled his fireball at Torak. Instinctively I put my arms in front of my face. The resulting explosion was deafening. A huge cloud of dust obscured Torak at ground zero.

"Did he get him?" Beldin asked in a mixture of hope and horror.

"He hit him alright," I said cautiously, "but if it was enough, I don't know."

We soon learned that it wasn't when we heard Torak laugh his evil laugh coming from inside the dust cloud. Which raises the interesting question, why does it always have to be an evil laugh? Personally I've found dignified silence to be far more effective. Of course, madness has its own logic.

"Is that all thoust can do, boy?" Torak sniggered as the dust settled.

Belmovekk just smirked that Saiyan battle smirk some more. Now that is what I mean by effective!

"Oh, I have not even begun, old chap," he said eventually. Torak's smirk disappeared when Belmovekk unleashed another one of those fireballs, and another, and another, a whole stream of them.

"Holy shit, Belgarath, each of those could level a city," Beldin said in awe as blastwave after blastwave came over us, "I could manage maybe one of them and Belmovekk is pumping them out like there's no tomorrow."

"Maybe if you wrestle a few demons from time to time you could squeeze out a few more," I bit back. To my surprise Beldin was actually thinking about it.

"Not a bad idea actually," he mused, "it obviously worked for Belmovekk after all."

"I have this feeling there's more to it, brother," I said while bracing myself to survive the onslaught of Belmovekk's attacks.

Finally after a while Belmovekk ceased his barrage and hung back, admiring the huge bowl of dust that surrounded Torak. Could he have pulled off the impossible? It would be a serious upset if he did but I rooted for it anyway.

When Belmovekk assumed a fighting stance again it was clear however that Torak had survived. When the dust settled we knew for sure. He was untouched, except for a few clothes that started to get torn here and there. He looked not very amused, but then a smile crept along.

"Thou are't pert indeed, boy, but I must grant, thou hast some power. Thou could be of some use to me. Join me as my favorite disciple and millions would lay at thy feet. Helplessly but to thy every whim!"

Even from this distance I could see Zedar wince at those words and couldn't help but smile. His misfortune at hearing his favorite disciple status being offered to someone else just happened to make my day.

x

Sometimes you have to take enjoyment from the small things in life.

x

"Zedar is not having the time of his life," Beldin smirked, he had seen it as well.

"The price of treason, I guess,' I shrugged indifferent, "your Torak's number one, until somebody more interesting comes along."

Belmovekk meanwhile hung just there in the air, panting heavily. So it hadn't been easy whipping out those fireballs. Torak saw it and smiled.

"Come to me, boy, and HEEL!"

And with that he unleashed the full force of his will on Belmovekk. It was incredible. Since Aldur was such a gentle God none of us were quite prepared for something like it. Torak's will however was brutal, I could feel it from here. Like everything about him it's far from subtle, very big and very much in your face. Later on Vo Mimbre he used his will on me as well, but thanks to what I learned this day I was somewhat prepared for it then. I always wonder how Pol managed to survive it though.

I could see Belmovekk cringing under this onslaught of pure will. I wanted to help, I almost got up when Beldin stopped me.

"No Belgarath, this has to happen, you know it!," he said. That voice must have spoken to him to. I fell back and watched again. Belmovekk still held out against Torak's will but I could feel him slipping. Torak grinned.

"Come, boy, heel, it is thy destiny!"

Belmovekk clenched his fists as sweat drenched his face.

"No," he exclaimed slowly, "I….., I will not submit to you! You…., foul…., sorry….., excuse…., for….., a….., God!"

"Just give in and it will stop," Torak smiled, "release thy Saiyan nature, thy lust for power and combat. Do not look so surprised, for I am a God, the strongest of all! Thou are't but an open book to me. Now HEEL!"

Belmovekk was in deep trouble now as Torak kicked it up a notch, I could feel it. And there was nothing I could do. Or was there? I hated doing it, as it involved opening old wounds.

" _Remember Mayan, Belmovekk,"_ I thought to him, _"remember Mayan!"_

She was of course his greatest regret. The sister he could not save. Who had died because he couldn't be there to save her.

Torak suddenly looked around him. He must have noticed me trying to reach Belmovekk and both me and Beldin started hugging the dirt for whatever cover it could provide.

"Belgarath, where are't thou?" the God of Angarak spoke out weary. His call had his priests up in arms and confusion.

As if I was going to answer. The idiot!

It gave only a slight distraction to Torak but it was enough however for Belmovekk to break free. The Saiyan had been struggling hard, holding his head as if to keep Torak out but when Torak's attention slipped just that tiny bit Belmovekk's power exploded again. With a detonation of white chi he broke the hold Torak's will had on him.

"NO," he screamed in anger, "it stops here Torak, no more of your human sacrifices, no more knifes, no more murder. It ends here!"

Belmovekk came down from the sky, charged Torak and before the God knew what was happening Belmovekk was beating him senseless. The God was actually staggering backwards. I could almost feel Beldin's elation as it happened. I could not suppress a smile myself. It was about time Torak got a dose of his own medicine. Finally Belmovekk delivered an uppercut that threw back Torak several hundred yards.

"Did you like that, old chap?" Belmovekk said derisively as he slowly advanced on the sprawling Torak. Torak got up from the ground and looked not bloody amused.

"Thoust should learn that I am a God," he huffed, "thy puny pugilism could never harm one as potent as me."

While he was indeed a God, I do surmise he did have to keep up some kind of pretense for the troops watching from the distance. There was no way he could have just casually shrugged that off.

"I guess I have to hurt you some more then," Belmovekk said and launched himself at Torak and hit him some more. The God got hammered some more indeed. Ah, the memories of that moment stimulate me from time to time when I'm a bit down.

"Is this all you could do, Burntface?" the Saiyan said between using Torak for a punching bag, "have we all been cowering for this so long? By the Gods, Torak, I've fought imps that put up a better resistance then you."

Thinking he had him beaten Belmovekk stepped back to appraise the situation. Torak suddenly smiled.

"So it is a challenge that thy seeks," he said, "I shall provide it then."

This time it was the both of them that charged each other. And the God actually started to fight back. He managed to block most of Belmovekk's blows though he did not attack that much.

"He's getting better," Beldin said aghast, "I don't know how but he's getting better! At this rate he'll be able to match Belmovekk blow by blow within minutes. Belmovekk could feel it too. He stepped backwards for a while, panting.

"Not bad Torak, I see there are some advantages to being a God after all. Still, it must be hurtful to have a mere mortal do some serious damage to your heavenly body!"

"Oh, I haven't even begun to unleash my powers unto thee," Torak said, panting as well, "as thy will learn most soon! "

"Shut up and impress somebody else," Belmovekk spat back, "I am not one of your Angarak cronies here. I have not even begun to break a sweat. If you insist in copying my moves let me show them to you proper!"

Again he launched himself at Torak unleashing another deadly barrage of punches and kicks that would have killed any normal man. But unfortunately Torak was far from ordinary. Then I felt a familiar feeling. I looked at Beldin and his face told me he had noticed it as well.

"I wonder what he just did," I said, "he used his Will for something while they were talking but it wasn't directed at Torak."

Beldin pointed to the Cherek gulf.

"It's your favorite peeve again," he said.

A massive cloud was coming in from the Cherek gulf, Belmovekk's handiwork. I moaned in disgust. Tampering with the weather can be so messy. I'd probably have to spend weeks trying to fix things up to prevent a climate change from happening. Suddenly Beldin tugged my robe for attention.

"Look," he said and pointed , "Torak is already on par with Belmovekk."

Indeed he was. He was trading blows with Belmovekk as if he was his equal in strength. He even managed to land a massive uppercut that send Belmovekk flying backwards.

"Not bad, you demented Ironhead," Belmovekk said as he landed on his hands and somersaulted to a halt, "It would appear that I will have to break a sweat after all. Beating a weak opponent can be so boring."

"Thy insolence will get thee nowhere, Saiyan ape," Torak replied.

Belmovekk saw the clouds, which by now overhang the battlefield, and smirked.

"We will see, Torak, we will see, would you like to see something different?" I could feel Belmovekk's Will stretching out to the clouds. Next he raised his arms into the air guiding the clouds.

"Eat lightning, Torak!" he screamed and lowered his arms. Belmovekk had somehow created a massive charge into the clouds. Normally lightning tends to discharge itself in several smaller bursts but Belmovekk now discharged the full force in one massive lightning strike. It was deafening. I've seen some lightning strikes in my 7000 years of walking this world but never anything like this. The massive force of this strike hit Torak fully in his iron mask. The burning eye inside it nearly popped out of its socket through the iron mask. Torak fell onto his knees. The air was filled with ozone. The God was panting heavily. But he had survived.

Again!

"Incredible," Beldin said shaking in disbelief, "what are Gods made of?"

"Thou willst pay a thousand times over for that," Torak said weakly, still on his knees, "thou insolent monkey!"

Belmovekk sensing that Torak was seriously weakened lifted into the air again.

"Time to end it, Torak," he said coldly, "make peace with whoever spawned the likes of you. No more!"

With that he cupped his hands towards his side and started to charge up. I could feel he was putting everything he had into this attack. Torak just stood there, panting from the lightning strike, mesmerized by this buildup of chi

.

"No", he shouted, "this can't be! No mere mortal can exceed my Godly powers. For I am a God and thou are but an insect to the likes of me! "

"You talk too much," Belmovekk said, smirking his infuriating Saiyan battle smirk again.

"He's slipping," Beldin said elated, "he's slipping, this could be it, Belgarath, we could finally be rid of ol'Burntface!"

"But what about the Prophecy?" I said.

"Screw the bloody prophecy, Belgarath! Torak's been doing that for ages now, why can't we do it once in a while!"

Somehow I couldn't help but agree with Beldin.

"And now you die, Torak," Belmovekk yelled, his attack ready, "time to see what Gods are truly made of. I will say you were sorry you could not come to Belgarion when he arrives and he finds you are not there! GALLICGUN, FIRE!"

And with that he unleashed a huge beam of chi. It was massive, it was huge and I nearly shit in my pants because of it. Come to think of it, I may have.

x

Comment all you want. You try being in my position. This was real end of the world stuff. I would like to see you do any better.

x

"He'll blow up the planet," I yelled, "It's too strong!"

"To late now," Beldin yelled hugging the earth again.

The point of the beam, a huge fireball struck Torak. The mad God screamed as it hit him. To this day I can still hear his yell. Apparently even Gods can experience mortal fear. Which is comforting to know in a way. And at the same also incredibly scary.

We had braced ourselves for a seriously big boom and although the sound was still deafening it wasn't the sound of things exploding. So we looked up.

"Holy shit," Beldin yelled to make himself heard over the deafening noise, "He can't be stronger then that!"

Somehow Torak had risen to meet the chi blast head on and was pushing against it with everything he got. Incredible. That day we truly learned what Gods are made of. Or at least got a better idea what it could be. Stern enough to enable him to hold Belmovekk's onslaught and prevent it from going boom. But was he?

"Maybe he isn't," I yelled and pointed until Beldin saw it also. Slowly but surely Torak was pushed back towards the ground.

"He's slipping," I yelled, "when he hits the ground it will go boom."

"And us probably with him, it's been nice knowing you, Belgarath," Beldin said, "Let's hope it doesn't crack the world again!"

"Die Torak, join your victims!" Belmovekk yelled as he meanwhile poured more power into his attack. Torak just gritted his teeth and pushed back harder, somehow stabilizing himself. Belmovekk let out another scream and turned the beam up just that bit more. I for the life couldn't fathom where he managed to find it. Neither could he afterwards. Yet he did and Torak lost ground, or should I say air again and slipped a few feet downwards again.

"Insolent fool," Torak yelled with gritted teeth, clearly he wasn't fairing that much better, "my powers are boundless!"

Torak's braggery wasn't just to convince himself. Somehow his descent stopped again. It clearly took everything the God had to stabilize himself though. Beldin and I were mesmerized by this giant clash of wills. We could not help but look even though logic dictated that we should have scrambled for cover. Preferably on the other side of the world.

"I have had it up to here with your antics," Belmovekk yelled clearly strained, "DIE!"

For once Torak had no reply as he slipped again, putting everything into his defense to stabilize. It held for now but just barely.

It's too bad the duel between Torak and Belmovekk never got the credit it deserved. It's not even mentioned in that horrible epic poem describing the whole campaign and it's fulmination at Vo Mimbre. Vo Mimbre was peanuts compared to this battle. It was an EVENT of major proportion. At that moment I understood why the other Gods left the world fearing a direct clash with Torak would rend the world asunder. All it took was one souped up Saiyan and one demented God to do almost that. Considering the energy poured in that attack I think any God would have succumbed to that attack. Any God but Torak since he was not only a God but also the Child of Dark. That must have been what eventually turned the tables. Nobody could maintain such an attack indefinitely and in the end Torak lasted just that bit longer.

As Belmovekk ran out of steam Torak managed to find the strength needed to throw the beam off. It went up in the sky and beyond, detonating harmlessly between the stars. But for a moment there shined a light brighter then a thousand suns. After the fight and the light came the silence.

"Incredible!" Beldin muttered when it was over, "We're still alive?"

"So is Torak," I said. The God was panting heavily, defeating Belmovekk's attack had taken a lot out of him. But Belmovekk was even more spent. It was over for my brother unless a miracle happened.

"Thou are't beaten," Torak said when he had composed himself, "thou hast done everything within thy power and I am still here. Submit thyself to my will!"

"Never," Belmovekk panted still defiantly, "for there is still one course left for me."

Belmovekk looked at his left hand and created a small ball of light in it.

"How can he still have power left?" Beldin muttered, "and what is he up to?"

"Ozaru," I answered, "the giant ape."

"But how?" asked Beldin puzzled, "There is no full moon?"

Belmovekk swiped the sweat of his forehead with his right hand and launched the powerball of light into the air with the other. It went up all the way into the upper strata of the atmosphere were it burst. Suddenly a strange light shone up in the sky.

"Full artificial moonlight," Beldin said as he realized what the Saiyan had done, "incredible! He created a bloody moon!"

I was speechless as I saw Belmovekk's transformation starting to happen. Torak was taken aback also as Belmovekk's power increased tenfold as his body changed.

"It's big," Beldin said when the transformation was finished, "but he's not at ten times his original strength."

"He lost some power in the making of the fake moon," I said, "and he's lost a lot of power in the preceding fights."

"But this time it could be enough to take Torak down," Beldin said with renewed hope, then an evil grin appeared, "you're going down, ol'Burntface!"

Torak however just stood there smiling.

"Thou are't truly impressive," he said confidently, "thou shalt make an excellent disciple. But thou should not rely on such simple tricks, for I am a GOD!"

And with that Torak raised his hand towards Belmovekk's artificial moon and it came down towards Torak until it touched and rested in his hands.

"Yes, interesting. A fine disciple indeed," Torak said as he examined the small moon. And then he closed his hand and the ball was extinguished.

"No," roared the giant ape that was Belmovekk and tried one quick desperate attack. But it was too late, the transformation started to reverse. By the time he reached Torak Belmovekk was normal again and he fell exhausted at Torak's feet.

"It's over," Beldin moaned, "it's all over! No, Belmovekk!"

Now it was my turn to restrain Beldin as my brother tried to make for Belmovekk and come to his aid.

"Please don't, Beldin," I said restraining my age old friend, "I don't have that many brothers left that I can spare them."

Meanwhile Torak looked down at Belmovekk.

"Maybe now willst thou join me as my disciple?" the crazy God asked smugly.

"Never," Belmovekk hissed still defiant.

Torak laughed and gave a signal. It took them a while to cover the distance but several Grolims came from beyond the devastation with a set of chains. Belmovekk was to exhausted to resist as the Grolims bound him in the chains.

"These chains have been specially made for thee, my unwilling disciple," Torak said as he hunched down next to my fallen brother, "they have been infused by me so thou cannot break them."

Belmovekk made a sudden lunge for Torak but as the mad God had said, the chains held.

"Submit to my will, fair warrior, for I have no desire to humiliate thee further."

"I'd rather be dead!" was Belmovekk's grim reply as he fell back exhausted.

"So be it," Torak said as he stood up, "thou are't pert indeed. Submit to my will NOW!"

Again I felt Toraks will hit Belmovekk. It was incredible. I didn't think I could have held out if it had been me, but Belmovekk still resisted somehow.

"Belgarath," Beldin whispered, "Belmovekk cannot hold out much longer! If he succumbs to Toraks will it will be all over for us. Torak knows he cannot harm us directly, the Prophecies won't let him, but Belmovekk is something else. If he were to fall under Torak's spell he'd crush us in an instant. For the love of everything that is dear to us we must kill Belmovekk before he's broken. It's the only way!"

My brother's words hit me hard.

"No, Beldin," I said desperately as I tried to imagine the impossible, "surely that can't be it! No disciple of Aldur has ever raised his hands against another. It's murder!'

"Life under Torak would be hell for him," Beldin said shaking his head, "you'd be doing him a favor, really. Please, Belgarath, we must kill him now. It's a mercy killing."

I clenched my fist. Belmovekk, no! Could I kill me friend, my brother?

"I can't do it, Beldin," I said as I pounded the earth in frustrated anger, "I can't kill one of my own brothers!"

Beldin looked at me with a gentleness I rarely saw in him.

"I understand, Belgarath," he said as he put his hand on my shoulder, "I understand. I'll do it."

" _There will be no such thing! I forbid it!"_

"It's him again," Beldin muttered as our favorite Necessity dropped by again.

" _Things will run its course,"_ it spoke in our minds, _"so don't interfere."_

" _But we can't just let Torak take Belmovekk over,"_ I thought _"he's our brother!"_

" _Must you always be so dense, Belgarath?"_ the Necessity spoke, somehow conveying an image of shaking its head in disappointment, _"Belmovekk has hidden reserves of strength even Torak has not begun to fathom. I know what I'm doing!"_

And he was gone again. Gone wherever Necessities go in their spare time.

"I guess we have been given our orders again," Beldin said gruffly, "but it doesn't stop me from worrying."

I nodded and watched the scene again. It was incredible, Belmovekk, though in heavy pain, had still not succumbed to Toraks will. Torak was visibly starting to lose patience.

"He is no longer as strong as he was before," Beldin said, "clearly Belmovekk's attack must have taken more of him then we thought."

Finally Torak gave up in disgust. The pain on Belmovekk's face diminished.

"Given up, old chap?" he asked panting.

Torak was clearly irritated. I love it when Belmovekk pulled a Belmakor on him. It's the smaller things in life which can give you such great satisfaction.

"Thou are't pert indeed." Torak said irritated, "impressive, none has managed what thy hast accomplished. But thou cannot last forever. But I grow weary of thy obstinance. If thy own pain means nothing to thee, maybe the pain of others will change thy mind."

Torak gave some orders to the Grolims and they started to bark orders in that hideous language of theirs. Other Grolims came forth with all sorts of materials.

"They're building an altar," Beldin said. Indeed they were erecting of those hideous altars to Torak.

"Oh no, Beldin," I said, "I know what they are planning. They are going to torture him by sacrificing people in front of him. Torak thinks it will break down his spirit. I don't think he can withstand it, Beldin. He's been having nightmares of him killing innocents for centuries. Somehow Torak knows this. He'll be offing them of one by one until Belmovekk caves in."

'I think this may be a Godsend, Belgarath, in every sense of the word. I think Torak is committing a major mistake here," Beldin said as a smile appeared on his face.

Beldin may think so but I wasn't convinced. By now the Grolims were ready. Another group brought one struggling Grolim along and laid him across the altar and then held him tightly.

"What are they doing?" I asked.

"They're sanctifying the altar," Beldin said casually, "for that Grolim blood is needed. I guess it sucks to be a Grolim at such times but I think I can manage knowing that."

It struck me as utterly useless, pointless, and so archetypically villain like I just had to object.

"They're just going to use it to torture Belmovekk, why bother?"

"Apparently even Torak will not waste a perfectly good sacrifice," Beldin shrugged.

That thought chilled me more then the sacrificial act itself as it gave me an insight in the madness that is Torak. One I could have done without. Beldin seemed unphased though. I guess spending all that time in Mallorea observing and killing Grolims can desensitize the soul.

A shriek sounded and ended just as sudden. A gong sounded and a Grolim held a bloody heart up to Torak, before throwing it into a fire. The other Grolims dragged their colleague's corpse away.

"It's sanctified now," Beldin said, now saddened, "now they are in business."

Grolims brought forth several Drasnian captives. Women and children mostly, for effect probably. Belmovekk started to rattle his chains.

"Don't do it, Torak," he yelled

Torak grinned. His Grolim priest spread their first victim across the altar and started to do their gruesome work. A shriek, a gong, another life destroyed for this mad excuse of a God. Torak smiled as the heart was burned. It looked like the smell of burning flesh was as perfume to him. A child was spread on the altar next.

"Please, don't do it, Torak," Belmovekk pleaded again. Torak ignored him. He made another gesture and some Grolims brought forth a throne for him. He seated himself within some distance of the altar but close enough to smell the smoke. Another shriek sounded, followed by that accursed gong. I sometimes awake at night sweating hearing that bloody gong!

"What's the matter, Saiyan?" Torak smiled sickly, "Dost thou do not like my religion. They are doing this to honor me, dost thy know? It's a great honor to be sacrificed."

Then the God leaned over towards Belmovekk.

"Submit to my will!"

Belmovekk spat on the ground.

"You are evil incarnated Torak, I'd die first!"

Torak shrugged and leaned back into his throne.

"Oh, thou are't quite willing to die, my Saiyan friend," he said, "but would thy willingly stand by as these innocents are offered to me? Innocents like that small child perhaps?"

His Grolims brought forth a small Drasnian child. Torak sprang up from his seat and knelt before the child.

"What is thy name, my child?" he asked gently. Oh, he was good. So good!

"Giselle, lord," she whimpered.

"How old are't thou, my child?"

"Seven, my lord," she replied fearful

"So sweet and innocent," Torak smiled as he stood up and ruffled her hair, "to the altar!"

And with that he reseated himself as two Grolims dragged the child off to be sacrificed.

"No, Torak, please," Belmovekk cried. Tears were running down his eyes as Torak leaned towards him again.

"Just submit thyself to my will and she lives, Saiyan!"

It was clearly tearing Belmovekk apart and he was lost for an answer

But not fast enough to Torak's liking, he made a simple gesture. Another shriek sounded followed by that accursed gong. Belmovekk buried his face in the sand and cried in pain.

"Bring forth another babe," Torak said triumphantly. Belmovekk rattled his chains again at this announcement.

"No, Torak, no more!"

"Submit and it will end," the mad God smiled.

"Yes," Beldin said triumphantly, "the last straw."

I failed to see what he saw. All I saw was a man about to be broken. Then anger rose in my Saiyan friend and he started to pound the ground causing minor quakes with each hit.

"This!

"Will!"

"End!"

"NOW!"

Then he stopped pounding the ground and buried his face in it. For what seemed like an eternity nothing happened, then he looked up again, his eyes screaming bloody murder. And for some strange reason having changed color to what I can only describe as the coldest color of blue green.

All of a sudden Belmovekk exploded. A blastwave of golden energy blew away the altar, the Grolims operating it and their victims bodies. Even Torak and his throne were pushed back several yards by the blast.

" _And done!"_ the dry voice said within our minds exulted.

Storms began to blow again, lightning began to strike the earth and dust engulfed the area. It was the damnest I've ever seen. And I had seen some that day.

When it all started to settle down I heard this strange noise, a bit akin to crickets chirping but different. Suddenly Torak became visible. He was taken aback. Something had seriously rattled his chain. And then I could see Belmovekk. But something had happened to him. He had his aura flaring again as if rejuvenated, the chains laying broken at his feet. But his aura was golden, not white. His normally black hair was now golden and stood erect, as if massive. All his facial hair was also gold colored and his eyes turned to that most cold greenish blue. I might have mentioned it before, because in later times I would look into those cold green eyes and they always freaked me out. But now his eyes were also filled with pure homicidal rage. And all directed towards pure unfortunate Torak. Ah, the world can be so unfair at times, even for mad Gods.

"His power is enormous," Beldin said, "it's way up from what it used to be. This is incredible, I've never seen anything like it!"

x

Yeah I know, dear reader, we had been saying that quite a lot that day, didn't we?

x

"What are't thou," a startled Torak stammered.

"Your worst nightmare ," Belmovekk replied. And with that he lunged for Torak again. Before the God could react Belmovekk had planted his fist into Toraks stomach. The God gasped for air like a fish on dry land, trying to recover. But Belmovekk followed up with an uppercut that launched the God straight into the air. He launched himself after Torak and continued to pound the maimed God of Angarak.

"This is incredible, Belgarath." Beldin exclaimed, "not only is he way stronger then before, he's also way faster. I can't keep up with him."

I nodded. My brother was right. Somehow Belmovekk had managed to reach new heights to ascend.

"Can you imagine a race of these beings," I said in amazement, "no wonder they were wiped out!"

We could not follow Belmovekk's movements, but there were detonations all across the heavens We could feel the shockwaves of Belmovekk's punches as he pounded Torak into submission. Suddenly there was a giant crash and dust flew up again. A crater had formed not far from us and the maimed God of Angarak lay in it. Belmovekk appeared above it.

Beldin grabbed me,

"Time to create some safe distance, Belgarath," he said. We got up, changed into birds and flew away.

In the general confusion nobody paid any attention to us. We just started to fly as Belmovekk started to bombard Torak's crater.

"How do you like that, you bastard of a God?" he yelled viciously, "Take this! And this! And this!"

Faster and faster he rained his chi projectiles on Torak's position, blowing up more and more dust.

"And now the finishing touch," he said and stretched his right arm, with his hand palm raised at a 90 degree angle. With that he released a whopper of a chi fireball. I know I've must have used the word deafening many times, but this was the mother of all deafening blasts. Beldin and I barely managed to find cover. Again the light of a thousand suns shined. What I saw next I will also never forget. A ball of fire engulfed in a giant mushroom cloud of dust rose slowly into the sky.

"Death incarnate," Beldin muttered equally impressed. We looked around us. Belmovekk, still shining gold hung up in the air. Around him, on the ground scurried the hosts of Angarak like sacred sheep in all directions. If we had an army we could have ended that war right then, right now. We floated up to Belmovekk. He saw us coming and turned to meet us.

"What happened to you?" I asked worried. Man, did those green blue eyes creep me out.

"I'm not sure," he said as he examined himself, "although I remember the legends of old talking about the golden warrior, the legendary Super Saiyan whose powers were boundless."

"A Super Saiyan?" I said flabbergasted.

"I hate to interrupt you people," Beldin said, but look down there!"

Amidst the dust clouds we could see Torak hanging in the air.

The maimed God of Angarak looked ruffled. Terribly ruffled. His once beautiful robe was in tatters. His iron mask gone, showing his maimed and still burning face. It was the first time I could see the full damage the Orb had wrought on him. The God was panting heavily, he was in poor shape. Suddenly he spoke. To our surprise it was not his voice that spoke, but the dry voice that also talked to us. Or probably more precisely, the dry voice that supposedly spoke to Torak, the voice of the dark Necessity.

" _Desist now, you have had your fun. Our objective has been reached. No more will be permitted!"_

To Belmovekk's surprise his own lips started to speak.

" _So be it. We have what we need. Until we meet again!"_

" _Indeed."_ The prophecies had spoken. Torak fell back to earth and landed with a resounding thud.

" _You should return now,_ spoke the Prophecy within our minds, _"today is not the day of final reckoning."_

"No!" Belmovekk wailed desperately and pointed at Torak, "I can finish it right here, right now!"

" _You might but yours is not the hand that will reft Torak from this world. That is up to Belgarion, the GodSlayer. Cease your attacks now lest my counterpart be forced to face us directly. In which case this world will cease to be. You have done marvelously, Belmovekk. By your actions you have delayed the advance of Torak's armies. Even as we speak, thousands are escaping from the Angarak hosts and thousands more will escape in the days to come. Things will now be as they should be. You have saved many lives today, Belmovekk, let that be your consolation."_

And our friend was gone again. Belmovekk's hair and eyes turned to black again and his powerlevel dropped to a very low level. Beldin had to grab his Saiyan brother by the shoulder.

"You did great today, Belmovekk," he said proudly, "I'm proud to call you my brother."

Belmovekk said nothing. I could see that he was disappointed. And who wouldn't when he had the chance to end it all at his fingertips.

"Let's go home," I said. Belmovekk nodded in defeat. Before we left I looked back. A giant crater lay at the heart of what once was Boktor. The river Mrin was already filling it with water. Nowadays it's a gentle lake on the outskirts of the rebuild city. I hear it's very popular in the summer to go there in little boats and have picnics. Little do they know of the epic struggle that took place there. And maybe that is as should be.

x

* * *

x

"I'm amazed that it's even possible to kill a God," Giles said taking out the polishing cloth again after hearing Belmovekk's story.

"You can sit with me in the Nile if you want?" Willow offered.

"Thank you, Willow," Giles said polishing like a mad man, "but that won't be necessary."

"What is it what engineers say, Master Giles, give me a lever big enough and I can move the universe?" Belmovekk said, "with the right tools, the right amount of power, yes, you can kill a God."

"But you didn't kill him. He's still out there on that world of your's, Belmo?" Buffy asked, "Doesn't that worry you?"

"Not in the least, young lady," Belmovekk shrugged, "The last time I met him the Child of Light put a sword into his eye and put him into a coma. From what Beldin told me he has been molding nicely now for quite some time. And when he wakes up the new Child of Light is going to stick another sword, this time specially made for him, in his guts."

"OK, that explains you," Giles said as he put his glasses back on, "and how about that Goku. How did he do it?"

"From what he told me Goku was fighting a losing battle on planet Namek," Belmovekk said, "he had nothing left to give when his best friend Krillin got killed right before his eyes. It was not pretty. He was torn apart before his eyes. Then it happened."

"So extreme emotional trauma is the key to this transformation then?" Giles asked.

"It is essential, Master Giles," Belmovekk nodded, "it must trigger a hatred that is so strong that your need for revenge, for vengeance overrides all. But it is not the only trigger. I have talked it over with Goku. At the time, both us also had some extremely high natural power levels. The strongest known Saiyan at the time had been measured at 23.000. Few Saiyans ever went beyond four zero's. Strong emotional trauma in battle is not that uncommon. Comrades in arms die. It is the nature of warfare. It has never triggered a Super Saiyan transformation in any of them. Both Goku and me however possessed exceptional strong power. Goku had reached an estimated level of 300.000, Belgarath at the time measured me at 5 million with my scouter. So clearly a minimal level is necessary that was never reached before."

"God, you make me feel depressed spouting those kinds of levels, Xander said depressed, "it makes me feel wholly inadequate. Could I do it?"

"Who knows?" Belmovekk smiled at the young man, "I'm not going to lie to you, young man. For all we know going Super is just a trait unique to Saiyans. Besides, why would you even want to? The kind of hatred and trauma needed to get to that would not be pretty."

"It would be helpful though," Buffy said, "I could grow real old being that strong. I wonder how it will change my hair, I'm already blond. Silver would look nice on me though."

"With my training you can handle 99% of all the demons out there, young lady," Belmovekk said, "for the rest you outsource, call in the big guns."

"I'd rather pay that price and have that power if it means I can help my friends," Buffy replied.

"As do I," Xander said

Belmovekk shook his head and held up a hand.

"Firstly, the chance that humans can go Super is slim at best. Secondly, would you even want such power if it means that the price of such power is the death of either of you? It is _that_ kind of trauma I'm talking about."

"I see," Buffy said. Xander said nothing.

"OK," Giles said trying to change the subject, "now that we've established how it happens, could you tell us what it is?"

"Beldin and I have thought long and hard about this," Belmovekk said, "now normal chi training allows you to both utilize the energy that's within your body and to increase that energy. Going Super Saiyan allows you to do that by an even insaner margin. It's like your body becomes hyper efficient."

"Well, that seems nifty," Buffy said, "There were times I could use something like that. So it's a hyper efficiency kick?"

"Put crudely," Belmovekk replied.

"But there is also the physical transformation," Giles said, and pointed to Belmovekk's hair and eyes, "You literally become a different person altogether."

"Does it change your personality as well?" Angel asked, "I know that when I change into game face I tend to become more vicious."

"It is like that too," Belmovekk nodded in agreement, then he looked down, "When I first changed I felt a rage and viciousness I had not felt since I joined my first warband and invaded a planet. It was like there was only murder in my heart. I have since learned to control that but whenever I transform I can feel it still."

"I figured as much," Angel said sympathetic.

"Amazing that all a person can generate that amount of power," Giles said, stunned by the implications, "I mean, the whole biology book would have to be rewritten if people can generate within themselves the power of a nuclear reactor."

"Maybe it is even more complicated, Master Giles," Belmovekk said looking up again.

"How so?" Giles asked.

"Beldin refuses to think that any person not a god can generate that amount of power by themselves," the Saiyan explained, "That maybe what a Super Saiyan is tapping in is not just his untapped reservoir inside, but maybe the energy that is all around us. Maybe even the very energy that is left over from creation?"

"Good god!" Giles exclaimed, "are we talking what I think we're talking?"

"What, the Force? Xander said with a big goofy grin.

"No young man," Belmovekk sighed, inwardly cursing that damned stupid movie again, and apparently so was Giles by the look of his facepalm, "the Force is a fictitious energy field created for a movie. There is no semi sentient energy field. There are however other forms of energy that permeate us. Imagine the universe as a vast ocean. All that you see, all that you use is that tiny layer that is the surface of that ocean. Underneath that surface however is a vast reserve of power that so far we have not even begun to understand. Tapping into that power is the holy grail of engineering."

"Beldin speculates that Super Saiyan however taps into that energy. Very inefficient, very crudely, but it still manages to draw in more energy and that is what makes it so deadly. It is speculated by scientists on this planet that a tiny portion of space, no smaller then the space between my fingers contains enough energy to destroy this planet. It is the energy that created the universe in the first place. They call it zero point energy. Imagine what you can do tapping into only a tiny portion of that power."

"Oh dear," Giles said, performing the Giles maneuver again, "I was afraid of that."

"So you're saying that the human body, or in this case the Saiyan body, can do what the most advanced engineers can't?" Angel said, "That is amazing."

"Not really," Giles said recovering fast from his shock, "so far the best in human engineering still hasn't been able to mimic what simple evolution has done with the human body. Despite massive research most robots still don't resemble anything human like. And those infernal machines are still no where near the human brain."

"Except you've just jinxed us, G-man," Xander said, "now we're going to up to here in evil robots and evil computers."

"Can you technically still jinx fate when not on the Hellmouth?" Willow suggested.

"Do you even want to take the risk?" Xander replied, "Better safe then sorry, Will."

"Not to mention those androids Belmo always talks about that will come in two and a half years," Buffy said.

"Well, I did say most, not all," Giles said defensively, "I am not that daft. I know the rules about jinxing."

"Anyway, it is just a theory," Belmovekk said, then he yawned, "One in which I do not place much stock, as I find it strange that if I could tap into all this energy, why do I still tire and lose power in a prolonged fight?"

"Maybe as your body tires you lose the ability to adequately tap into that energy?" Giles countered.

"My head hurts just thinking all these things," Xander groaned, "I think maybe this is my cue to hit the sack."

"Wise words indeed," Belmovekk yawned again, "I am off to bed. I suggest you guys also do. Tomorrow will be a long day as we will meet up with Yamcha and Krillin."

"Wait a sec," Buffy said, "didn't he die? How did he rejoin the land of the living? It didn't involve an encounter with a matching set of pointed teeth, right?"

"Which one, young lady?," the Saiyan asked, "they both have died in the past."

"Yamcha even said it on the plane ride here, Buff" Xander said.

"And you didn't think that was strange, Xan?"

Xander shruged.

"I live in Sunnydale with a mythical Slayer, a member of a 10.000 year old mystical organization dedicated to help said Slayer, a souled vampire and now a 4000 year old Saiyan as well. What's the occasional resurrection from death compared to that?"

"Resurrection is possible, Buffy," Giles said, feeling finally back in safe familiar territory again, "it involves powerful magics of incredible power. Reviving the body is comparatively easy. Which is why there are so many cases of zombie revival. The trick is in reuniting body, mind and soul. Only Gods and powerful necromancers can do that."

"There are no other ways?" Willow asked curious.

"The ancient Egyptians believed that strong adherence to rituals allowed them to cheat death," Giles continued, "although some interpretation thinks that those rituals involved magics to seek the aid of a God, in this case Osiris. Jesus was fabled to resurrect Lazarus, again the God angle. From East Asia comes the legend of the Earth Dragon who can revive the dead if you perform a certain task. From Australia we have the legend of the Dream path, which…."

"Enough," Buffy said holding up her hands, "when not at school I can do without the lecture, Giles. A simple yes or no would do."

"I'm sorry Buffy," Giles said slightly annoyed at being cut off, "but a little knowledge never hurt anyone."

"I highly doubt that when you say a little knowledge most people will start listing off a dozen ways to resurrect people from the dead," Buffy said sour.

"In all fairness, Buffy," Willow said, 'you did want to know if it was possible."

"Yes or no would have done the trick, Will."

"Why not ask them tomorrow?" Xander suggested casually, only to look at Belmovekk, "unless you have something to say on the matter?"

"What, and ruin your surprise?" the Saiyan said trying to hide a big grin, "personally I cannot wait to see Master Giles face."

"You're evil," Angel grinned, "you know that, right?"

"When you cease being evil, vampire, it is the little things in life that give you the most enjoyment."

x

* * *

x

AN 2017: _I made some changes to the nature of the state of Super Saiyan as upon re-reading it no longer made as much sense as when I first wrote it in 2006. I also studied the article at Dragonball wiki. Wikis are awesome! I wish it was around when I first wrote this story.._


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

 **'Who's line is it'**

x

x

AN: _My first attempt at doing an episode rewrite to show what having Belmo meant to the Scoobies usual adventures, something I prefer to leave to you guys imagination. I didn't like it at first because it involves tons of boring copy/paste work so I'm not planning on doing it again on this scale. (AN 2017: Yeah, that turned out differently...) Afterwards I thought it came out OK though. Imagine my surprise when I got tons of criticism for it on my beta post on . I basically had done too much dialogue and not enough stating who said what and what they were doing meanwhile. Talking head syndrome it was called. Based on that I had to rewrite my entire story. Which took months. Having done that I still think it came out OK (knocks wood as he will probably still get a lot of flak for it)._

 _Part of the reason I chose these episodes was because when I studied them for interesting angles to use I was struck by the amount of self-pity and bitching Buffy does. It literally dripped of my screen. I just had to rewrite that!_

x

* * *

x

Buffy walked through one of Sunnydale's older cemeteries. These days with the edict in effect there was little need for patrolling at night but she was used to it and it did help her unwind after one of Belmovekk's grueling training sessions on steroids. These days in particular he seemed to revel in kicking her and Xander's ass in sparring at every turn. Which made the unwinding part all that more important.

It was when she passed one of the bigger crypts that she noticed something was wrong.

Somebody was inside.

Somebody was making noise and showing very much signs of being alive. This being a crypt, a place for the dead her Slayer instincts immediately kicked in and without even thinking she changed her course to have a look.

Inside the crypt a vamp was busy breaking and entering into a grave, obviously looking for something. Curious she leaned against the door post and observed him. For under the rules of the Edict breaking and entering a grave was not listed as a crime. And as a consequence any demon or vampire not breaking the rules of the Edict was now exempt from being killed on sight. A fact not lost on many of them whenever they encountered the Slayer as they couldn't seem to shut up about it.

Still, technically a dead person was still a human and his or her integrity was being violated through the act of grave robbery, which could allow her to step in and punish the evildoer. Such fine splitting hairs however were the furthest from Buffy's mind right now. Nor was Xander's and Belmo's argument that the occasional act of random violence never hurt to maintain the proper level of batshit insane fear in the demon community. At the moment she was just feeling curious and watched him.

As he was busy vandalizing the grave the vamp was so engrossed in his job that he failed to notice her and soldiered on, hacking and hammering with fury, until finally, after some time, he managed to break through and looked happy as he seemed to have found what he was looking for.

"Does 'rest in peace' have no sanctity to you people?" Buffy casually said, "oh, I forgot. You're not people."

If he still had a heart the vamp would probably have died from a heart attack right on the spot. Now he turned around ashfaced and clumsily hid behind him whatever he had been seeking.

"I…., uh, I," the vamp said incoherent at first but to his credit he recovered quickly, "I'm not breaking the edict, Slayer! I'm not hurting or killing anyone!"

"You are not exactly on your best behavior either, and breaking and entering is still a cri..," Buffy tried to say, but before she could finish her sentence she sensed danger. Turning around she saw another vamp coming at her. Instincts taking over she leapt over him to land behind him. The vamp turned around but only to stare into a charging energy ball that was growing in Buffy's hand pointed at him.

"Oops, I guess somebody just broke the edict," she smiled, "say hello to the Master for me, will ya?"

All the vamp could do was swallow and then she dusted him the new fashioned way. She still preferred doing it the old fashioned way but Belmovekk had been hammering her that her energy attacks needed more practice. Unlike Xander's who was already exhibiting flawless form in this area. Still, her attacks still carried a bigger bang.

"And he has the gall to say mine are lacking finesse," she muttered as aggressive vamp turned the dust, then she looked around, "one down…., hey where did he go?"

The other vamp had seemingly taken advantage of the distraction and buggered off, gone with the wind. She looked around to see if she could find him but it was to no avail. At times like these she wished she had a scouter, just like Belmo had. Muttering for letting herself get distracted so easily she picked up her bag with gym clothes and got on her way again.

x

* * *

x

In Casa del Buffy, a.k.a. 1630 Revello Drive, Buffy's room to be precise, Angel occupied himself by having a look around while he waited for her to return. He had hoped to find her at home but it seemed training had run a little late. But while Angel was busy examining Buffy's stuffed pig up closely he failed to notice that she was re-entering the room through the window. Without saying anything she tossed her bag on the floor, causing Angel to startle and feel like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Buffy!" he said jumpy, "You scared me."

"Now you know what it feels like, Stealth Guy," she said amused and finished climbing into the room, "just dropping by for some quality time with Mr. Gordo?"

"Excuse me?" Angel asked, not having a clue as to what she meant.

"The pig," Buffy said as she both nodded at the stuffed pig in his hand and dumped her bag in her trunk.

"So how was training?" Angel asked.

"The usual," she shrugged, "Belmo beat us up again. You know the drill by now. Why didn't you show up? Belmo was asking for you."

"Oh. I, uh.," Angel stammered, looking quite uncomfortable and sending Buffy's sixth sense into overdrive

"OK, what's up?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Angel said and dropped Mr. Gordo on a chair.

"Only you don't have a nothing face.," Buffy retorted, "you have a something face. And you don't have to whisper. Mom's in L.A. till Thursday. Art buying, or something."

"Then why'd you come in through the window?" Angel asked curious.

"Habit," Buffy casually replied.

"I wanted to make sure you're OK. I had a bad feeling," Angel said.

"There's a surprise," she snorted, "Angel comes with bad news."

Angel cringed and began to sport a hurt puppy look that had Buffy feeling sorry for having said it.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry," she said and walked to him, "look, I've been Cranky Miss all day. Being beaten up all evening didn't help much either. It's not you."

"Well, what is it then?" he asked

"It's nothing," she said dismissively.

Angel looked at her sternly.

"Uh, we're having this thing at school," she said.

Angel nodded as he finally connected the dots.

"Career week?" he asked.

"How did you know," she asked surprised

"I lurk," Angel shrugged

"Right," Buffy said giving him a funny look, "well, then you know it's a whole week of 'what's my line', only.. I don't get to play. Sometimes I just want…."

"You want what?" Angel asked ands sat beside her. A gesture Buffy appreciated until she saw in her mirror that her reflection still sat alone.

"It's OK," Angels said as he noticed her flinching.

"The Cliff Notes version," she asked, then she spilled the beans, "I want a normal life. Like I had before."

"Before me?" Angels akss.

"No, Angel," Buffy replied and touched his hand, "it's not you. You're the one freaky thing in my freaky world that still makes sense to me. I just get messed sometimes. I wish we could be regular kids."

"Yeah. I'll never be a kid," Angel said and gets up.

"OK, then a regular kid and her cradle robbing, creature-of-the-night boyfriend."

Angel couldn't help but laugh making Buffy smile as well. Angel saw a picture on Buffy's desk and picked it up. In it she's still a small child on ice skates.

"Was this part of your normal life?" Angel asked.

"Oh, my God!" Buffy exclaimed as she saw the picture, "My Dorothy Hamill phase. My room in L.A. was pretty much a shrine. Dorothy dolls, Dorothy posters, I even got the Dorothy haircut. Thereby securing a place for myself in the geek hall of fame."

"Hmm, you wanted to be like her," Angel asked as he looked at the picture. She may think she looks all geeky but to him she looks quite nice on it.

"I wanted to 'be' her," Buffy replied as the memories of those days return to her, "my parents were fighting all the time, and skating was an escape. I felt safe."

"Have you told Belmovekk about your feelings?" Angel asked.

Buffy shook her head.

"I don't think he would understand," she said.

"Why not? He seems like a good fellow," Angel shrugged, then he raised an eyebrow, "although I do get the feeling he's not that fond of me."

"Xander isn't that fond of you either," Buffy countered, "that hasn't stopped you from working together."

"True," Angel said, "but he sees me as a rival mostly. Belmovekk sometimes gives me a look like he would rather kill me then train me."

"It's what you are," Buffy said, "his senses are like mine, only better. Well, in this chi sensing thing at least. And your vampireness just doesn't agree well with that big stomach of his. All things considered I think he handles you quite well. And he's not like that other Saiyan."

"True," Angels said shuddering at the memory of Vegeta, "but you haven't answered my question. Why don't you tell him about your feelings. Or Giles for that matter."

"They wouldn't understand," Buffy replied, "Giles always talks about sacred duty this, sacred duty that. Belmo, he's a warrior at heart. He loves all this fighting stuff. And he never had a normal life. I did."

"All that warrior stuff was probably a normal life to him," Angel said.

"Exactly!" Buffy echoed, "He doesn't know anything else."

"Still, he might surprise you though," Angel said.

Buffy didn't reply and for a while neither said anything.

"So when was the last time you put on your skates?" Angel asked finally breaking the silence.

"About a couple of hundred demons ago," Buffy smiled. Of all the things she expected him to say this wasn't it.

"There's a rink out past Route 17," Angel said slyly, "it's…. closed on Tuesdays,"

"Tomorrow's Tuesday," Buffy said

"I know," Angel replied.

x

* * *

x

The next day on school Cordelia and Xander are looking over poster results of their career aptitude test.

"Oh, here I am," Cordelia said pointing to her name on the poster, "'Personal shopper or motivational speaker.' Neato!"

"Motivational speaker?" a very surprised Xander snorted incredulously, "On what? Ten ways to a more annoying you?"

Cordelia looked at Xander then looked up his results.

"Oh, what about you?" she said, "You're."

She started to laugh and leaves.

"What," Xander asked surprised and started looking his results up, only to stunned once he sees the result, "What?!"

Meanwhile Willow and Buffy left one of the school halls.

"You and Angel are going skating? Alone," Willow asked, as always enjoying a chance to do some relationship gossiping.

"Unless some unforeseen evil pops up, which it usually does," Buffy replied, "but I'm in full 'see no evil' mode."

"Angel ice-skating," Willow said, trying to imagine the vampire on ice.

"I know," Buffy said as she conjured up the same mental image, "two worlds collide."

Xander came up to his two friends and walked just behind him.

"Wouldn't you two say you know me about as well as anyone else?" he asks anxiously, "Maybe even better than I know myself?"

"What's 'this' about?" Willow asked.

"When you look at me, do you think 'prison guard'?" Xander asked with his 'please tell me this is not real' face. The idea alone made Willow and Buffy giggle.

"Um, crossing guard, maybe, but prison guard?" Buffy said shaking her head.

"They just put up the assignments for the career fair," Xander said, "and according to my test results I can look forward to being gainfully employed in the growing field of corrections."

"Well, at least you'll be on the right side of the bars," Buffy laughed.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Laugh now, missy," Xander said not very amused, "they assigned you to the booth for law enforcement professionals."

"As in police?" a very surprised and shocked Buffy asked, her amusement at Xander's fate now gone.

"As in polyester, doughnuts and brutality," Xander grinned cruelly.

Buffy groaned in disgust.

"But…., doughnuts?" Willow smiled in an attempt to cheer her friend up. It only made Buffy groan even more.

"Well, I'll just jump off that bridge when I come to it," she finally replied. Then she saw Giles walking by carrying a huge load of books

"First I have to deal with Giles," Buffy said, "he's on this Tony Robbins hyper-efficiency kick lately. I think that after the recent events and trips he's gone into full denial. Expects me to check in every day after homeroom."

Before the others can respond she walked after Giles. As she does she can't help but mouth the word police in utter disbelieve.

Giles put down his huge stack of books on the table in his library. To bad for him the stack was just too big and unstable so it naturally fell over. Before he could react the falling stack was steadied by the timely intervention of Buffy.

"Thank you." Giles said both grateful and surprised, "I've been, uh, indexing the Watcher diaries covering the last couple of centuries. You would be amazed at how numbingly pompous and longwinded some of these Watchers were".

"Color 'me' stunned," she replied as she sat down.

"So how did your training go last night?" Giles asked as he began to make smaller stacks of his big stacks of books.

"Young lady," she said in a Belmovekk impersonation, "your technique is sloppy, you have the execution of a Saiyan 4 year old and your energy attacks leave much to be desired. Now again, this time with feeling! And that was before he kicked mine and Xander's ass again."

"Same as usual I'd say," Giles couldn't help but smile, "he's right though, you do always slack off during training."

"But I make up for it in real combat?" Buffy interjected in her have pity with me voice.

"Perhaps, Buffy," Giles shrugged, "but we all sleep so much better if you got it right the first time. Your improvisation skills are admirable but what is wrong with doing it right from the start?"

Buffy didn't answer. Then she remembered her cemetery incident from last night.

"Hey, I passed through a cemetery last night and caught a couple of vamps trying to steal something," she said triumphantly, only to have her look of triumph disappear, "actually I got one, the other got away. They even had the gall to wave the Edict in my face saying they weren't breaking it."

"Well, technically Buffy, the edict said nothing about them refraining from crime," Giles said as he finished restacking the books and straightened his back, "according to the latest figures in the paper there has been a marked increase in robberies. They even stole a book from here, remember? Did you find out what it was?"

"No," Buffy sighed, "but I could take a guess and say it was something old."

Giles looked at her disapprovingly.

"You made no effort to find out what was taken?"

"Have a cow, Giles!" Buffy said defensive, "I just figured it was your everyday vamp hijinks."

"Well, what if it wasn't?" Giles countered, "this could be very serious! I mean, if they were robbing somebody for money I could understand but robbing tombs doesn't seem ordinary. I-i-if you'd made an effort to, uh, to be more thorough in your observations."

That did it!

"Y'know, if you don't like the way I'm doing my job, why don't you find somebody else?" Buffy exploded in anger, "Oh, that's right, there can only be one. As long as I'm alive, there is no one else. Well, there you go! I don't have to be the Slayer. I could be dead."

"That wasn't terribly funny," Giles said seriously, "you notice I don't laugh."

"Wouldn't be much of a change," Buffy snorted, "either way I'm bored, constricted, I never get to shop, and my hair and fingernails still continue to grow. So really, when you think about it, what's the diff?"

Giles sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Do we have to be introspective now?" he said, "Our only concern is to discover what was stolen from that mausoleum last night."

x

* * *

x

"This is it then," Spike said as he held a gold carved cross on a pillow to Drusilla. She looked at it intently, almost laying her ear on it.

"It hums," she said smiling, "I can hear it."

Spike smiles at her elation.

"Once you're well again, we'll have a coronation down Main Street, and invite everyone," he said, "and drink for seven days and seven nights."

"What about the Slayer?" Spike's learned minion and Indiana Jones wannabe asked nervously, "she almost blew the whole thing for us. She's trouble. She blew apart Jenkins with this single ball of energy."

"You 'don't' say," an agitated Spike replied. Just the bare mentioning of the Slayer is enough to drive him over the edge. He hasn't had a good drink ever since she issued that damn edict and it has been driving him slowly nuts. Angry he started to pace.

"Trouble?! She's the gnat in my ear! The gristle in my teeth! She's the bloody thorn in my BLOODY SIDE!"

Spike violently kicked the table having worked himself into a rage and sent it across the room..

"Spike? Drusilla asked concerned. Spike suddenly grinned, he had an idea.

"We gotta do something," he said grinning, "We'll never complete your cure with that 'bitch' breathing down our necks. I need to bring in the big guns. They'll take care of her. Even if it's just to distract the bloody bitch."

"Big guns?" the minion asked puzzled.

"The Order of Taraka," Spike replied as he started to smile cruelly.

"The bounty hunters," Drusilla said, instantly liking the idea. She sat down on the bed and started shuffling her tarot cards. Next she dealt three tarot cards. One is of a Cyclops, another of a centipede and the third of a panther.

"They're coming to my party," she said happily, "three of them."

Spike walked back to the bed to look at the cards.

"Uh, yes, but…, the Order of Taraka," the minion still sputtered, " I mean.. isn't that overkill?"

"No," Spike replied resolutely, "I think it's just enough kill. Probably not even enough kill. She'll probably kill them all but it will buy us enough time to do what's necessary."

"But…, the edict?" the minion rambled.

"What about it? It never said we couldn't undertake anything against the Slayer," Spike said, "We just tell them not to harm anyone else. Very specifically or there will be no payment whatsoever. It's the bloody 20th century after all. If they can drop smart bombs on tin pot dictators it's about time the Order of Taraka gets with the program."

x

* * *

x

"Buffy! Slow down! Please," Giles begged panting heavily as Buffy swung open the cemetery gates briskly and without effort. She looked back at him and shook disapprovingly.

"Giles," she said rueful, "we have work to do, remember? Get with the program."

"You're behaving remarkably im-immaturely," Giles panted as he held his chest from having to run to keep up with Buffy.

"You know why," she sighed, "I am immature. I'm a teen. I have yet to mature."

"I was (pant) simply offering some (pant) constructive criticism. (pant)" Giles panted

"No! You were harsh," Buffy counterd, "God, you act like I picked this gig. But remember, I'm the picked."

"What you have (pant) is more than (pant) a gig. (pant) It's a sacred duty. (pant) Which (pant) shouldn't prevent you from e-e-eventually procuring some (pant) more (pant) gainful f-f-form of employment. Uh-uh-uh, such as I did."

"Uh, Giles, it's one thing to be a Watcher and a librarian," Buffy bites back, "they go together like chicken and.. another chicken, or.. two chickens, or.. something, you know what I'm saying! The point is, no one blinks an eye if you want to spend all your days with books. What am I supposed to do? Carve stakes for a nursery?"

"Um, point taken," Giles admited, "I must, however, admit, I-I've never really.. Well, now there's a thought, have you ever considered law enforcement?"

Buffy halted in her tracks as Giles turned to face her. She looked at him like he's crazy. A moment later her expression changed to exasperation, and she raises her flashlight and jerked it at the mausoleum behind him.

"What," Giles asked as he turns around, "oh!"

The Slayer and her Watcher enter the now empty mausoleum. Inside were the remains of the vampires handiwork, a vandalized grave.

"May I?" ask Giles and grasped the flashlight.

"Be my guest," Buffy said as she leaned against the same doorpost she had leaned earlier.

He turned on the flashlight and walked over to where the wall had been broken into.

"It's a reliquary," Giles said after a while, "used to house items of religious significance. Most commonly a finger or some other body part from a saint."

Buffy shook her head in disgust.

"Note to self: religion: freaky."

With Buffy still leaning against the wall Giles scanned around the rest of the room with the flashlight. He spotted a name engraved on a stone high above.

"Du Lac," he said as his voice changed from curious to worried, "oh dear. Oh dear!"

"I hate when you say that," Buffy sighed.

"Josephus Du Lac was buried here," Giles said as he finished his examination, "he belonged to a religious sect that was excommunicated by the Vatican at the turn of the century."

"Excommunicated and sent to Sunnydale. There's a guy big with the sinning," Buffy couldn't help but snort

"You remember the book that was stolen from the library by a vampire a few weeks ago?" Giles asked.

"Yeah?" Buffy said not remembering much details other then it being a book and that it had been stolen.

"It was written by Du Lac," Giles said rebuking himself, "Damn it! I let it slip my mind with all the recent excitement."

"I'm guessing it wasn't a 'Taste of the Vatican' cookbook," Buffy replied as they left the mausoleum.

"No, the, uh, book was said to contain rituals and spells that reap unspeakable evil," Giles said, not really surprising Buffy, "however, it was written in archaic Latin so that nobody but the sect members could understand it."

"So, everything's cool then," she asked hopeful. She's starting to get an idea that the coming days will become quite busy. Busy enough to interfere with her upcoming date with Angel.

"It's not," Giles said in a tone that confirmed her suspicions, "first the book was taken from the library, and now the vampires have stolen something from Du Lac's tomb."

"You think they figured out how to read the book?"

"Something's coming, Buffy, and whatever it is, I can guarantee it's not good. I'm going to call Belmovekk."

Giles took out a cell phone and called the Saiyan to explain the situation. After a few minutes he hung up and sighed.

"So what did his Belmo'ness have to say?" Buffy asked.

"He said go to Willy and declare an edict violation on the grounds of somebody's scheming. That if by midnight they don't give us any answers it's time to, and I quote 'let the dying begin'. Oh, and I quote also, 'that I should keep my bloody books under lock and key. Especially the dangerous ones.'"

"That's my Saiyan," Buffy replied with a big grin.

x

* * *

x

"So Giles is sure that the vampire who stole his book is connected to the one you slayed last night? Or is it slew," Willow asked as the gang sat in the library later in the day, getting a briefing from Giles.

"Both are correct," Giles said, "and, yes, I'm sure. Du Lac was both a, a... a theologian and a mathematician. This article describes an invention of his, which he called 'The Du Lac Cross'."

"So, why go to all the trouble of inventing something, and then giving it a weak name like that," Xander quipped , "I mean, I'da gone with 'The Cross-o-matic', or, uh, 'The Amazing Mr. Cross'."

Everybody looked at Xander like he made a bad joke. Which it was.

"The cross was more than a mere symbol," Giles continued and gave Willow the magazine he was quoting from, "it was used to understand certain mystical texts, to, uh, decipher hidden meanings and so forth."

"So you're saying these vampires went to all this hassle for your basic decoder ring?" Buffy said in her usual idiom.

"Uh, actually, yes," Giles said, "I, I suppose I am."

"According to this, Du Lac destroyed every cross except the one buried with him," Willow said reading.

"Why destroy your own work?" Buffy asked surprised.

"Perhaps he feared what might happen if it fell into the wrong hands," Giles said.

"A fear we'll soon get to experience for ourselves up close and personal," sighed Xander as he sensed long nights, huge tomes and donuts, interspersed with random acts of violence and terror.

"U-unless we can preempt their plans," Giles said.

"How?" Willow asked.

"Uh, by learning what's in the book before they do? Which means we can expect to be here later tonight," Giles said as he sat down and confirmed Xander's worst fears.

"Goody! Research party," Willow happily exclaimed.

"Will, you need a life in the worst way," Xander said, "speaking of research, why not declare an edict violation? Rattle some demons and let them do the looking instead?"

"That's what Belmo said," Buffy added.

"I'd rather not," Giles countered, "I prefer not to rely on untrustworthy demons when we could find it out ourselves through some good old fashioned research. Besides, rattling some demons means letting our opposites know they are up to something."

Xander slammed his heads on the table in disgust.

"Can we at least count on the B-man?" he asked hopeful, "cause when the going gets tough, the tough prefer to call in Saiyan close air support."

"I'm afraid not, Xander," Giles said as he dumped a large stack of books on the table, "unfortunately Belmovekk can't be here at the moment. He had to leave at last minute notice. It sounded pretty urgent, some last minute lead or something. But he'll try to get back as soon as possible."

Again the sound of Xander slamming his head on the table could be heard. Taking a deep sigh he made peace with his fate and grabbed a book. No sooner had he done that as Buffy makes her bid for freedom.

"Speaking of research," she said, "I really have to bail, but I promise I'll be back bright and early tomorrow and ready to slay," Buffy said smiling.

"This is a matter of some urgency, Buffy," Giles said dismissive.

Buffy can feel the gates to Dateville slamming shut.

"I realize that," she said as she tried again, "well, you have to admit, I kinda lack in the book area. I mean, you guys are the brains, I'd only be here for moral support anyway."

"That's untrue, Buffy," Xander said, "you totally contribute. You go for snacks?"

With the gates to Dateville still shut Buffy looked towards Willow for moral support. Luckily for her Willow got the hint.

"She 'should' go.," Willow stammered, "y-y'know, gather her strength."

Xander looked at Willow with a raised eyebrow. Something fishy was going on here. Before he could ask the gates to Dateville swung open unexpectedly.

"Perhaps you're right," Giles consented, "there may be fierce battles ahead."

Having won the argument Buffy smiled and made for the exit while the gates were still open.

"But Ho-Hos are a vital part of my cognitive process," Xander objected in a last ditch effort to keep the Slayer from leaving.

"Sorry, Xand," she smiled over her shoulder, "someplace I have to be."

"Shouldn't I be going then to gather my strength," Xander asked when she's gone, "after all, we are a team, right?"

"You appear to be more then well rested," Giles said as he put his hand on Xander's shoulder, "besides, she and books don't mix."

"Five bucks she's having a shindig with Angel," Xander snorted.

x

* * *

x

That evening as a certain Slayer and a certain vampire had their ice skating shindig rudely interrupted Drusilla sat on her bed playing with her tarot cards. Suddenly she takes a tarot card depicting a cyclops and turned it over.

"He's passing under our feet right now," she said all shaken.

"No worries," Spike said comfortingly, "we're close to decoding the manuscript. We just need a bit more time."

"Time is ours. It brings the Slayer closer to them," she said. While one of the tarot cards has been turned over face down, there are still two more face up

x

* * *

x

The next day, in the library, Giles was inspecting a ring Buffy gave him very intently under a magnifying lamp.

"This guy was hard-core, Giles," Buffy said. She had just explained how her date with Angel went, rudely interrupted by a one eyed Red Neck wannabe who had attacked them like only a one eyed Red neck wannabe can. If he were on steroids that is. Fully head on with no sense of the finesse of strategy or tactics. It had totally ruined her date. Not because of the effort to kill the one eyed Red Neck wannabe, that had been easy. Cyclops had killed the mood of the date though. Some would have called it still a successful mission kill. Although Xander would rather take the Fifth and bite off his own tongue then ever say that out loud.

"And Angel was seriously power-freaked by that ring," Buffy addd.

"I'm afraid he was not overreacting," Giles said as he finished his examination, "this ring is worn only by members of the Order of Taraka. It's a society of deadly assassins dating back to King Solomon."

"And didn't they beat the Elks this year in the Sunnydale adult bowling league championships?" Xander jokes feebly.

"Their credo is to sow discord and kill the unwary," Giles said, getting a bit annoyed with the flippant young man.

"Bowling is a vicious game," Xander grinned.

"That's enough, Xander," a very annoyed Giles yelled. He regretted his remark immediately as he saw how everybody looked upset at him.

"Sorry. It's just not the time for jokes. I need to think," Giles apologized and took off his glasses.

"These assassins, why are they after me?" Buffy asked.

"Cause you're the scourge of the underworld?" Willow suggested.

"I haven't been that scourgey lately," Buffy said back

"I don't know," Giles said, "I don't know. I think the best thing you can do is to stay here. Luckily your mother is out of town, but we wouldn't want to turn your house into another battle zone like during Halloween. The library is as good a place to stay until we figure out a way to go. God, I wish Belmovekk was here right now."

"When the going gets tough, the tough should have called in Saiyan close air support," Xander sighed before biting his lip in frustration.

"OK, now you and Angel have both said to head for the hills," Buffy said somewhat insulted, "Are you saying I can't handle this, that I'm not strong enough to fight these people? I survived Vegeta, I killed this guy dead easy, Giles."

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to look for the right words to say.

"They're a breed apart, Buffy," he finally said, "u-unlike vampires they have no earthly desires, but to collect their bounty. They find a target, and, uh…. they eliminate it. You can kill as many of them as you like, it won't make any difference. Where there's one, there will be another, and another. They won't stop coming until the job is done. Each one of them works alone. His own way."

"I say, let them come one at a time," Xander said holding up a fist in defiance, 'that's my preferred way. Better that way then some kung fu movie where they all come at once. Tarakan comes, boom, Tarakan gone. Bring on the next!"

"Yes, but only some of them are human," Giles countered, "some.. a-are not. Some are rumored to be pretty strong. Others versed in strong magicks. Y-you won't know who they are until they strike."

"We have our own powers now," Buffy interjected

"He is right in one point though, Buff," Xander said pensively.

"Which is?" she asked looking funny at Xander.

"Think first, act later," Xander said and gestured around him, "besides, wouldn't you rather have them come to you here then in your home? Don't worry, I'll swing by your house, get some of your stuff."

"Is that safe?" Giles asked.

"Relax G-man," Xander said and started to create and then juggle with three small energy balls, "they aren't looking for me and I have some abilities of my own these days."

"The Earth is doomed," Giles sighed.

x

* * *

x

If you are a teen in the grip of raging hormones and hoping to get lucky on a night out one goes to the Bronze. There are places that cater to older generations like the Espresso Pump. There even places that cater to those who are even older or aren't even human. The most prominent place of the latter is Willy's Bar and said proprietor was busy preparing to clean and close the business as Angel made an entrance.

"We're closed. Can't you read the sign?" Willy said, only to notice who his visitor was, "oh, uh.. hey, Angel. I didn't recognize you in the dark there. What, uh.. what can I do for you tonight?"

"I need some information," Angel asked all business.

As expected Willy denied he knew anything. Angel sighed mentally. Willy could be so predictable.

"Yeah? Man, that's too bad, 'cause.. I'm stayin' away from that whole scene. I'm living' right, Angel."

Angel ignored the owner's ramblings and did the next stop in their little routine, playing the cynical old cop as he walked through the joint and pretended to check out the pinball machine

"Sure you are, Willy," he said rueful, "and I'm taking up sunbathing."

"C'mon, man," Willy smiled weakly, "don't be that way! I-I treat you vamps good! I-I-I-I don't hassle you, you don't hassle me.. We all enjoy the patronage of this establishment. Everybody's happy, right?"

"Who sent them?" Angel asked.

"Who sent who?" Willy asked in return.

"The Order of Taraka," Angel said.

Somehow Willy managed to keep up a straight face.

"I-I.. I tell ya, I haven't been in the loop," Willy said. Which was a lie. Everybody had heard of the Order of Taraka. Everybody who is something in the demonic underworld or involved with it that is.

"Let's try again," Angel said and walked towards Willy, "the Order of Taraka, they're after the Slayer,"

"C'mon, man," Willy gestured desperate not to have to tell.

"Was it Spike?" Angel asked. Willy was close to breaking now, but he still put up a fight.

"Look, Angel, I-I got some good human blood in, good stuff, straight out of a blood bank, my fence said."

Angel grabbed Willy and slammed his head into the bar, causing Willy to knock a half-empty pitcher of beer onto the floor. Angel pressed down hard on Willy's head with his hand.

"Damn it! Ah….," the bar owner cried in pain.

"You know, I'm a little rusty when it comes to killing humans," Angel said casually, "it could take a while."

"Oh, Spike will draw and quarter me, man," Willy whimpered still holding out.

"I'll take care of Spike," Angels said as he put his head close to the sniveling barman and whispers the next part, "besides, the Slayer is going to declare an edict violation on him. Straight from the horse's mouth Willy. He's going down. Be smart and don't go down with him."

"On what grounds?" Willy asked with big open eyes. He still remembered the crackdown. He lost some good customers that day.

"Scheming and plotting against humans," Angel smiled cruelly, "and you know the penalty for withholding information, don't you!"

"But you can't kill me," Willy whimpers," I'm human. You would violate the edict yourself!"

Angel started to laugh loudly

"Don't you know, Willy?" he said, "I'm like 007. As far as the Slayer is concerned I got a license to kill."

"OK, OK," Willy yelled desperately, "you're right He ordered those guys! Spike's sick of your girl getting in his way!"

Angel gave Willy a slight pat on the cheek while still pressing him firmly against his bar

"So where can I find him?" he asked.

"I tell you that, I'm gonna need relocating expenses," Willy whimpered, "it'll cost you!"

"It'll cost who?" Angel said and put more pressure on the little weasel.

"OK! OK! He and that freaky chick of his are…."

WHACK!

Before Willy could answer Angel got hit violently in the back and fell on the ground.

"Damn, I hate being sucker punched," Angels said and looked up to his attacker. It's a black girl.

"Hey Willy," he said out loud, "when did you get a bodyguard? Willy?"

The bar owner had taken the girl's intervention as his cue to bugger off to greener and better pastures and left his own bar.

"Damn, now I have to go and find him all over again," Angel muttered to no one in particular

The girl meanwhile picked up Willy's broom, broke it in two and used the sharp end to attack Angel. Angel dodged the attack and got up. She immediately tried to stake him again but again Angel managed to dodge the improvised stake but not the other fist she followed up her attack with. It was followed by a roundhouse kick. Angel got knocked back but is far from out. She's better then he thought. The improved Angel could still easily kick her ass but he didn't really want to hurt her.

"Look, I don't want to fight you," he said, but all he got in response was a fist that sent him staggering into the back room.

"Girl! You don't want to see me go medieval on you," Angel said as he's starting to get pissed off. The girl however ignored his plea and came charging with her improvised stake.

"I guess you do," he said and quickly powered up for some more juice. She held the stake with two hands above her head as she charged him so Angel easily grabbed her arms and then headbutted her, sending her falling to the floor, the stake falling from her hands.

"Now will you listen to reason?" Angel yelled as he kicked the stake out of reach. The girl looked up and uses both legs to kick Angel backwards into the open mesh cage that was behind him. As he crashed in there she got up and closed the door, slamming the bolt closed. As Angel rose from the stuff that he had fallen into the girl looked coolly upon him. Well, at least she stopped attacking, Angel thought to himself.

"Who are you?" he asked, "if you tell me what I need to know I don't have to hurt you."

The girl just laughed.

"You think this is funny," Angels asked.

"I tink it is funny now," she replied with a heavy African/Westindian accent, "dat girl. De one I saw you wit before?"

"You stay away from her," Angel hissed angrily.

"I'm afraid you are not in a position to treaten," the girl snorted.

"When I get outta here I'll do more than threaten," Angel growls angry.

"Den I suggest ya move quickly," she said and looked at the window, "eastern exposure. De sun will be comin' in a few hours. More dan enough time for me to find your girlfriend."

Angel looked at the window, then at the girl who looked confident at him. Then he just laughed which caused the girl to look slightly puzzled.

"Care to place a wager on that?" Angel grinned and charged an energy ball to the utter surprise of the black girl.

x

* * *

x

"Hey guys, look what I found!"

Giles and Buffy looked around. It was Angel and he had entered the library with an unconscious girl slung over his shoulder.

"Angel?" a very surprised Buffy said surprised, "what is this?"

"You d-d-didn't…" Giles stammered.

"No, of course not," Angel said and put the girl into a chair, "although I did had to knock some sense into her. She just kept attacking me. Real vicious piece of work. She interrupted me while I was pumping Willy for information."

"Who is she?" Buffy asked as she examined the unconscious black girl.

"Oh, it would be better if she told you that herself," Angel replied with a big grin, "you'll get quite the kick out of that."

"Did you learn anything about the Order of Taraka from Willy?" Giles asked.

"Willy more or less confirmed Spike's behind it," Angel said to Giles, "couldn't tell me where he was though. She choose to interfere at that moment."

"So we're not much closer to answer then?" Giles said slightly beaten.

"I don't know," Buffy said having finished her examination of the girl, "I now get to slay the Prince of Peroxide. Since he pays for it, if he's gone then they can't get their bounty, right?"

"It doesn't work like that, Buffy," Giles replied, "the money is paid up front. They would still be honor bound to fulfill the contract. Ah, the girl is coming around."

They gathered around the girl who had started to stir.

"Angel, how did you manage to get her here?" Buffy asked, "Its daylight outside."

"Those Sunnydale sewers will get you everywhere," Angel replied with a sly look, "As good as the roads, but without the traffic is the common vampire joke."

"Where am I?" the girl finally said, only to snap up as she remembered what happened.

"Oh no you don't," Angel said and pushed her strongly back into the chair.

"We're not going to hurt you," Giles said standing right in front of the girl trying to comfort her.

"You," the girl said as she recognized Buffy. She tried to get up but Angel slams her back down again.

"Just tell them who you are, like you told me," he said. She gave him a deathglare but Angel just smiled.

"We've been through that," he said, "remember? If you play nice, we won't hurt you, just give them your name like you did to me."

The girl glares at him or a while but Angel wasn't impressed. She then reached some inwards decision and swallowed.

"I'm de vampire Slayer," she said, "and if ya kill me, anodder Slayer will be sent to take me place!"

"Isn't she a hoot?" Angel said, smiling from ear to ear as he saw the utter confusion and saucer wide eyes on Buffy and Giles, "anyway, gotta go to see if I can find Willy again. I'd love to chat., gotta go .Kiss kiss, bye bye. You two kids be nice to each other. Have fun!"

x

* * *

x

"I can't even believe you," Cordelia muttered as she followed Xander through Revello Drive on foot, "You dragged me out of bed for a ride? What am I to you, mass transportation?"

"That's what a lot of the guys say," Xander replied unimpressed with her whining, "but it's just locker room talk. I wouldn't pay it any mind."

"Oh, great, so now I'm your taxi 'and' your punching bag," Cordelia sighed, lost for a good come back. And Xander was loving it.

"I like to think of you more as my witless foil," he said barely containing his glee, "but have it your way."

Both he and Cordelia stood outside Buffy's house. With her mother in LA and she having been convinced her house is not a suitable place to turn into a battlefield in case some Tarakan assassin showed up Xander had volunteered to go pick up some personal stuff and weapons. Of course he had enough rudimentary control by now to have flown the distance but the idea of using Queen C. as a taxi held some major ironic appeal. It would also have attracted less attention.

Having arrived Xander walked onto the porch and looked through the window inside to see if somebody is inside. The coast seemed to be clear however so he took out the key Buffy had given him.

"C'mon, Cordelia," he said as he opened the door, "you wanna be a member of the Scooby Gang you gotta be willing to be inconvenienced every now and then."

"Oh, right," she snorted, "cause I lie awake at night hoping you tweakos will be my best friends. And that my first husband will be a balding, demented homeless man."

"Buffy could be in some trouble," Xander said not caring for her whining as he stepped inside, "she could use our help."

"And what if she is exactly?" Cordelia bitched as she followed him, "What are you gonna do about it? In case you haven't noticed, you're the lameness and she's the super chick, or whatever."

"Well, at least I'm the lameness who cares," Xander replied hardly being able to contain his laughter, "which is more than I can say about you. I'm gonna check upstairs."

Cordelia followed Xander into the house and closed the front door her as Xander runs upstairs

Spinning her keys Cordelia walked into the living room and had a look around. The interior design of the Summers household doesn't particularly impress her. Mostly terribly plain and ordinary, but not everything. With her mother running an art gallery there was at least some decent art in the house instead of the plebeian art that usually came with these kinds of places.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door and she went to answer it. Outside stood what looked like a slightly pudgy and middle aged salesman.

"Good day," he said, "I'm Norman Pfister with Blush Beautiful Skin Care and Cosmetics. I was wondering if I might interest you in some free samples?"

"Free?" Cordelia said smiling like a Dutchman who has just heard his most favorite word. She stepped aside and let him in.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

 **'Who's line is it 2'**

x

x

AN: _Part deux, beware of some graphic violence scenes. Or not if that is what you've been dying to read for._

x

* * *

x

"And your Watcher is, i-is Sam Zabuto, you say?" Giles asked their latest guest.

"Yes, sir," the new Slayer answered respectfully towards Giles. Ever since hearing Giles was a Watcher she turned into the perfectly obedient and subservient good little Slayer. It almost made Buffy throw up in disgust.

"We've never met," Giles said to Buffy, "but he, he's, he's very well respected."

"What, so he's a real guy? As in non-fictional?" Buffy said having a hard time believing it all. Giles ignored her and goes on.

"And you are called..?"

"I am de Vampire Slayer," the black girl replied still defiantly.

"We got that part, hon," Buffy said testy, "he means your name."

The new girl shot a look of pure venom at Buffy. As subservient she was towards Giles, she still was very much hostile towards Buffy. With the feeling being fully mutual.

"Dey call me Kendra," the new girls said, "I have no last name, sir."

"Can you say 'stuck in the 80's'," Buffy snorted, earning another deathglare from Kendra.

"Buffy, please," Giles interjected, "uh, there's obviously some, some misunderstanding here."

At that moment Willow came walking in the library. Kendra immediately got up and moved to intercept her.

"Hey," Willow said in an attempt to greet her.

"Identify yourself," Kendra said in a hostile tone, causing Willow to look like a scared deer caught in a car's headlight.

"Back off, pink ranger," Buffy said as she came to Willow's defense, "this is my friend"

"Friend?" Kendra asked, not believing her ears.

"Yeah. As in person you hang with," Buffy smiled as she put her arm around Willow, "amigo?"

"I don't understand," Kendra said shaking her head.

"You try," Buffy said to Giles rolling her eyes in despair, "I'm tapped."

As Buffy walked away with a confused looking Willow Giles stepped in.

"Uh-uh, Kendra, uh, there are a-a-a few people, uh, ci-civilians if you like, who, who know Buffy's identity. Willow is one of them, a-a-and they also, um, spend time together, uh, socially."

"And you allow dis, sir?" Kendra asked surprised. This trip to Sunnydale is turning out to be weirder and weirder with every minute.

"Well, uh..," Giles stammered. It's not as if he wanted it to have gone like this. Still, it wasn't as bad as she made it sound.

"But de Slayer must work in secret for security," Kendra said quoting established Watcher procedure.

"Of course," Giles said, he knew the S.O.P. regarding Slayer handling, "uh, but, uh, with Buffy, however, it-it's, um, some flexibility is required."

Buffy looked at Giles while raising a well groomed eyebrow. Somehow his defense of her came out suspiciously much like some concealed criticism.

"Why?" asked a baffled Kendra.

"Hi, guys. W-what's goin' on?" Willow asked feeling left out.

"Apparently there's been a really big mix-up," Buffy answered, eyeing Kendra wearily.

"Uh, it seems somehow that, uh, another Slayer has been sent to Sunnydale," Giles said.

"Is that even possible?" Willow asked, "I mean, two Slayers at the same time?"

"Not to my knowledge," Giles acknowledged Willow, he had been wondering that himself, "um, th-the new Slayer is only called after the previous Slayer has died. Uh…. Oh, good Lord! You were dead, Buffy."

"I was only gone for a minute," Buffy pouted as everyone looked at her.

"Clearly it doesn't matter how long you were gone," Giles retorted, "you were physically dead! Thus causing the activation of the..., the next Slayer."

"She died?" Kendra asked curious.

"Just a little," Buffy snorted.

"She drowned, but she was revived," Giles said.

"So there really are two of them?" Willow said bewildered, "that is so….., complicated?"

"It would seem so," agreed Giles, "this is completely unprecedented! I'm quite flummoxed."

"What's the flum?" Buffy said as she eyes Kendra wearily again, "It's a mistake, she isn't supposed to be here, she goes home! Look, no offense, I really don't mean this personally, but I'm not dead, and frankly having you around creeps me out just a little bit."

"I cannot just leave," Kendra said defiantly, "I was sent here for a reason. Mr. Zabuto said all de signs indicate dat a very dark power is about to rise in Sunnydale."

Buffy gave off the mother of all snorts.

"And what's your great plan for finding this dark power?" she said, "You just gonna attack people randomly till you find a bad one?"

"Of course not," Kendra said defensive.

"Then why the negative 'tude?"

"I tought you were a vampire," Kendra said straight faced, causing everybody to look surprised.

"Oh, a swing and a miss for the rookie," Buffy said eventually.

"I had good reason to tink you were," Kendra retorted, "did I not see you kissing a vampire, in that ice hall?"

"Buffy would never do that," Willow said, only then to realize that she would, "oh! Except for that sometimes you do that. But only with Angel. Right?

"Yes! Right," Buffy said, seeing where she might have given the wrong idea but still refusing to admit she was wrong, "look, you saw me with Angel, and he is a vampire, but he's good."

"Angel?" Kendra snorted, "You mean Angelus? I've read about him. He is a monster."

"No, no, no," Giles interjected, "he's, he's good now."

"Really," Willow added.

"He had a Gypsy curse," Buffy said coming to the defense of her boyfriend.

"He has a what!"

Buffy throws her hands in the air.

"Y'know what, just trust me on this one," she said, "OK? He's on the home team now."

Before anyone could say anything there was a soft thud on the roof, like somebody had jumped onto it, then came some more noises and something somersaulted inside through an open window.

"Greetings, Master Giles, you called for me?" Belmovekk said flippant as he made a flawless landing, only to then notice an unfamiliar face, "Toraks teeth! I should have learned to check first by now!"

"Is he also on de home team?" a very surprised Kendra asked.

x

* * *

x

Feeling mighty pleased with himself for having just bested a Slayer Angel walked through the Sunnydale sewers on his way back to Willy's. Luckily the bar owner maintained a trapdoor to the sewer system for some of his vampire clientele so getting there in broad daylight wouldn't be a problem.

Having arrived at the underground address Angel pushed open the hatch.

"Willy, you got some explaining to do," he yelled in a bad Spanish accent and stuck his head through the opening. Instead of seeing a cowering Willy Angel looked up into the smiling face of Spike.

"Hi there, gorgeous," Spike said, "did you miss me?"

"Spike, what the..," is all Angel could say before a tranquilizer dart hit him in his neck. A fast acting drug sent Angel falling back into the sewers. Spike hopped through the hatchet and landed with a splash next to Angel, shortly followed by Willy and one of Spike's minions holding a blow pipe.

"There you go, friend," Willy said to Spike, "I told you he would be coming back."

Two more of Spike's minions arrive from the sewers and grabbed Angel roughly by the shoulders. Willy started looking around shifty. Now came the hard part, collecting the 30 pieces of silver.

"Uh, hey, wai-wait," he asked Spike, "we had a deal, right?"

"What's the matter, Willy?" Spike said and pulled out a bundle of cash and waved it in front of Willy, "don't you trust me?"

"Oh, yeah. Like a brother," Willy answered put at ease as he greedily accepted his blood money. Spike smiled and slapped Willy gently on his cheek.

"Of course, talk to anyone and I'll have your guts for garters," Spike said softly.

"Wild horses couldn't drag it….," Willy replied, eyes only for the money.

They both knew Willy would talk to anyone who put his (or in his case maybe her) foot on his neck, or waved even more cash in front of him, but they played the game anyway. Since he may need the barman in the future Spike dropped the last bills of cash into the sewer water to show who's boss.

"Oops! Sorry, friend," Spike smiled.

Willy however is either used to being psychologically abused or has pecunia non olet tattooed on the inside of his eyelids and just picked up the bills.

"What are you gonna do with him anyway?" he asked as he tried to shake off as much of the sewer water as possible.

"I'm thinkin' maybe dinner and a movie. I don't want to rush into anything. I've been hurt, you know," Spike replied casually and followed his men as they dragged Angel away.

x

* * *

x

Do you have anything in raisin?" Cordelia asked the salesman, "I know you wouldn't think so, but I'm both a winter and a summer."

"Nine ninety-nine, tax included," the salesman smiled his best salesman smile at her.

"You said that already," Cordelia objected, "do you have anything in the berry family?"

"Are there more ladies in the house?" the salesman asked as he looked around.

"Oh, no," Cordelia said without thinking, "they're not home. You know, nothing personal, but maybe you should look into selling dictionaries, or... some."

Cordelia started to stutter as she saw a worm crawling out of the sleeve of the salesman onto his hand.

"What is it with women and their hair care products?" Xander sighed as he came down the stairs carrying a large and heavy bag, "you've got all these combs, blowers, suckers and pluckers. No wonder you never manage to reach high positions as captains of industry. By the time you're finished with your make up we men are already there. Hey, what's up?"

Seeing a strange man with Cordelia stopped Xander cold in his tracks.

"Um, he's a salesman," Cordelia said, "and he was just leaving, right? Uh, OK! Buh-bye! Thank you!

"OK, Mary Kay," Xander said and nodded to the door, "time to..."

When another worm came crawling along, this time on the salesman's face into his ear Xander knew what he was dealing with. He dropped the bag and was about to charge an energy attack when he remembered that Cordelia was with him. And somehow he didn't relish the idea of having Cordelia know his newfound powers. There would be no end to her bitching to him about it. Damn, he should have known better then to drag her along. Better to do a Xander classic from the past.

"Time to run," he yelled. He made a run for it and grabbed Cordelia along while the salesman broke up into his constituent worms behind them. The worms rapidly give chase and when Xander and Cordelia arrived in the kitchen the Tarakan was already reassembling in front of the exit.

"Neat trick," Xander admitted as he did a quick U-turn, again grabbing a screaming Cordelia and made a dash for the entrance of the basement instead. They hurry inside and closed the door behind them. Any worm that tried to get through under the door get a nice but rough shoe massage.

"Find something to cover the crack under the door," Xander yelled stomping wildly. Cordelia grabbed a broom that conveniently hung next to the door and passed it to Xander. Taking hold of the household utensil Xander brushed like a madman to sweep the many worms back. But it's like trying to mop up water with the tap still running.

"Uhh...," a very disgusted Cordelia said and hands Xander a roll of duct tape she found, "here! I don't do worms."

"Women," Xander muttered, then he gave Cordial the broom and took the tape, "Cover me!"

Xander started taping the gap underneath the door while Cordelia started sweeping like a mad woman.

"Eww! Eh! Eh!" she uttered in sheer disgust whilst sweeping.

"Another Slayer?" Belmovekk said very surprised. Buffy just raised her shoulders in a 'don't look at me, I don't know' gesture.

"Well, we-we're very certain it's because of Buffy having died last year," Giles said, "it must have triggered the activation of a new Slayer."

"Really," Belmovekk said and looked at Buffy, "you died? I must say, for a dead girl you look quite alive, young lady."

"Why thank you," Buffy smiled.

"It was only for a few minutes at the most," Giles continued, "the Master had drowned her and Angel and Xander were able to revive her using CPR. But you must have known, surely we told you?"

"I might have heard something along the way," the Saiyan shrugged, "I hear many things though. Too many things at times. Maybe it slipped my mind?"

"Maybe you've lived to long and gone senile," Buffy teased, earning herself a Saiyan deathglare.

"Is he a witch?" Kendra asked feeling more and more surprised about what she has found here in Sunnydale. Also making a mental note to tell her Watcher that she may have needed a better briefing about this place of weirdness before being sent here.

"No," Willow said smiling, "he's a sorcerer."

"What is de difference?" Kendra asked non-plussed.

"Well, let's see," Willow answered, "witches use spells, sorcerers use their will power. He is also very strong. Doesn't take well to a full moon though."

"What, he's a werewolf as well?"

"Uh, no," Willow said shaking her head, "something altogether else. I'm not sure, I haven't seen it yet."

"This is an interesting development, Master Giles," the Saiyan said as he started pacing. Being somewhat miffed by this development the Saiyan's tail unfolded from being wrapped around his waist and started to sway."

"He has a tail," Kendra gasped, eyes big as saucers, "Are you sure he's not a werewolf?"

"I think technically wereape covers it better," Willow said.

"Technically, Belmo here is an alien," Buffy said in a deliberate casual tone to further freak out her fellow Slayer.

"An alien?"

Kendra took a chair and sat down. This was just not her day.

"They're called Saiyans," Willow said exited, "they're like a warrior race. That is why he is so strong. He's training Buffy. And Xander too, but he's not here though."

"Wat, training her to become an acrobat?," Kendra asks sarcastically, her only means of dealing with this weird situation.

"To fight, you dimwit," Buffy said, "he has the coolest moves. Didn't Sabatini teach you to be open to new things?"

"Buffy, there is no need for name calling," Giles interjected before Kendra can react to the insulting of her watcher.

"But the question wasn't that invalid though, Master Giles," Belmovekk said and took out his scouter to look at Kendra.

"What is dat?" she asked curious.

"Its a device called a scouter," Giles said, "and no need to worry. It's an alien device that can measure and index a person's life force. Belmovekk uses it to find demons and estimate how strong a person is. He's rated us all."

"Belmo said I'm a 243 nowadays," a smug smiling Buffy said, "and that the average human is only 5."

"How well were you trained child?" Belmovekk asked Kendra after finishing his scan.

Kendra looked at Giles, as if for what to do.

"It's OK to answer him," Giles nodded gently. Kendra nodded in deference to his judgment.

"I was trained from an early age by my watcher in all styles of martial arts in preparation for my calling," she answered.

"And these included all styles and training methods known to the Watchers?" the Saiyan asked as he started walking around her. Not sure what to make of it she followed his movements wearily.

"Yes," she said.

Then Belmovekk made a sudden move towards her. Before she could react his fist, enveloped in lightning arcs, stopped an inch in front of her face.

"She has not been thought anything," Belmovekk snorted in disgusted and made the same move towards Buffy, who, before Kendra can see what happens, blocked the attack effortlessly. The Saiyan smiled approvingly and walked towards Giles.

"Did you give any of my training methods to your council, Master Giles?" the Saiyan asked, "surely they should have incorporated some of it by now? This girl barely rates at 92 and knows nothing of chi."

Giles coughed uncomfortably.

"Unfortunately, Belmovekk, the Council, um, wasn't that, um, interested."

"What!" both Belmovekk and Buffy exclaim.

"They, um, more or less, how should say this, um, said something like , um, if it ain't broke, why fix it?"

"Why am I not surprised?" Buffy snorted in disgust.

"Sick twisted evil bastards," the Saiyan muttered as he walked away angry, "and those are the people you work for?"

"Why is he insulting my Watcher," Kendra asked angry.

"Not your Watcher, Kendra," Giles said in an attempt to sooth her, "Belmovekk is angry with the Council. He feels that his training methods can contribute greatly to the effectiveness of Slayers and their survival rate. And having seen their results in action I happen to agree."

Having walked off his anger Belmovekk returns.

"Can her Watcher be trusted?" the Saiyan asked. Before Kendra could give her very biased opinion Giles intervened.

"Sam Zabuto is highly respected." Giles said, "I've never met him but he must be the only watcher to have gotten the care of a second Slayer. Most can't handle having had one, let alone two. He is known to care greatly for them. Until Buffy came along his previous charge held the recent record for longevity in this century.

Belmovekk nodded but isn't quite convinced.

"That tells me he cares for them. But can he be trusted, Master Giles?"

Giles realized that his next words would determine Tom Zabuto's fate so he choose them very carefully.

"I think so, yes."

"What are they talking about?" Kendra asked Buffy.

"My guess, Belmo is going to have a long talk with your watcher so you can break his last record," Buffy replied. The Saiyan looked at Kendra.

"You, come with me," he said and signaled Kendra to follow him. Again Giles nodded his agreement to Kendra so she follows.

"Where are we going, sir," Kendra asks.

"To the school gym, child," Belmovekk said, "I'm going to see what moves you got and then put you through some paces."

"This I gotta see," Buffy said rubbing her hands in glee.

"Me too," Willow piped excited.

"I-I-I think principal Snyder will have something to say about that," Giles interjected, "don't you have your career assignments to go to?"

Real life came down like a proverbial ton of bricks.

"My life sucks," Buffy sighed as the Saiyan and Kendra left the library.

x

* * *

x

"Could you sit down, or change your pattern or something," Xander said as he sat annoyed in the Summers household basement watching Cordelia pace for hours, "you're making me queasy."

Cordelia gave him the cold stare but stopped pacing and started to lean on the washer.

"Because you're just sitting there? You should be thinking up a 'plan'."

"I have a plan," Xander replied, "we wait. Buffy saves us. The Tarakan dies a hard dead. We wait, she doesn't come, he waits here and he doesn't bother her elsewhere instead. Soft mission kill. Either way he's taken care off."

That was a good one he thought. That way his new found skills would remain a secret from Cordelia. It's not that he didn't trust her, she somehow managed to keep Buffy's secret identity a secret. But then again, she doesn't really dislike Buffy. He and Cordelia however had been trading quips for years. Jesse used to say that they were like Niles the butler and CC from the Nanny. And unlike Buffy, who seemed to have an unconscious desire to blab about her superhero status to everyone, Xander preferred to keep his new strengths to himself and whatever Vamp he gets to kill. Hell, he even let his own father still beat him up instead of roughing the bastard up. Then again Buffy never read the comics. Giles may ride him constantly from reading that 'senseless drivel' but at least they had taught Xander that secret identities need to be kept secret for a reason. The more people that were in the know, the more complicated things became. For them as well.

"How will she even know where to find us?" Cordelia continued to whine.

"Cordelia, this is Buffy's house," Xander said chiding, "odds are she's bound to come looking for us at some point. I did say we were going to go here."

It isn't really true of course. In the old days she would have come running if he failed to call in for an hour. But nowadays she seemed to have gotten faith in his abilities to stand up for himself. Oh cosmic irony!. The one time he could use her to save his ass and she wouldn't come because she thinks he would do fine.

"Well, what if she doesn't?" Cordelia said still whining, "What am I supposed to do? Just waste away down here with you? Haw, haw, no thank you!"

Cordelia stopped pacing and walked to the stairs.

"What are you doin'," Xander yelled and got up. Cordelia turned around and faced Xander.

"Going to see if he's gone," she yelled.

"That's brilliant," he said and pointed to the door, "what if he isn't?"

"Oh, right," Cordelia yelled as she put her arms on her sides, "you think we should just slack here and hope that somebody else 'decides' to be a hero? Sorry, forgot I was stranded with a LOSER!"

Having vented her anger she leaned back on the washer and folded her arms across her chest.

"And yet I never forgot that I'm stuck with the numb-brain that let Mr. Mutant in the house in the FIRST PLACE," Xander yelled back at her. Before he was annoyed but now she had riled him up really good.

"HE LOOKED NORMAL," she yelled in her defense

Xander snorted in disbelief.

"What, is he supposed to have an arrow with the word 'assassin' over his head?! All it took was the prospect of a free makeover, and you licked his hand like a big, dumb dog!"

"You know what," Cordelia said angrily and walked to the stairs again, "I'm going!"

Xander didn't reply and seemingly let her go. Just as Cordelia is about to climb the stairs she turned around and faced Xander again.

"I'd rather be worm food than look at 'your' pathetic face," she told him.

"Then go! I'm not stopping ya!," Xander replied looking away in feigned disinterest.

"I bet you wouldn't," she said not believing her ears, "I bet you'd let a girl go off to her doom all by herself!

"Not just any girl," Xander grinned evilly, "you're special."

Cordelia stamped her feet in frustrated anger.

"I can't believe that I'm stuck spending what will probably be my last few moments on Earth here WITH YOU!"

"I hope these are my last few moments! Three more seconds with you, and I'm gonna…," Xander said as he stepped closer.

I'm gonna what?" Cordelia bit back but also stepped closer, "coward!"

"Moron!"

"I 'hate' you!" Cordelia said angrily.

"I HATE YOU!"

No sooner said then that and the old opposites attract kicked in as they grabbed each other and started locking lips passionately. After a few seconds reality kicked in and they let go.

"We so' need to get outta here," Xander said

"Mm-hm," Cordelia agreed.

They rush onto the stairs and go to the door. Giving each other one last look Xander yanked away the tape to see if any worms came across. When none do he moved away the broom blocking the door and opened it.

"So far so good," he said as he opened the door.

Xander peaked around the corner. The coast looked clear. He gestured Cordelia to go for it. They then made for a mad dash to the door. Cordelia managed to get out first, but then suddenly worms started to fall on trailing Xander.

"Not bugs again," Xander yelled in disgust, "my buttmonkey days are over! That's it!"

With Cordelia out of the way and himself covered in bugs Xander raises his powerlevel in an instant. The resulting chi flame blew away the worms that had fallen on him. The worms gathered together before the door entrance and reformed into the creepy salesman. Perfect, thought Xander, not seeing Cordelia. Creepy Tarakan salesman slash assassin seemed puzzled as Xander charged an energy attack between his hands.

"This is for making me kiss Cordelia," Xander yelled and released the beam. The beam erupts from Xander's hands and blasted the Tarakan assassin into fiery nothingness as his constituent worm parts got swept away and burned into a crispy ash.

"No more buttmonkey," Xander grinned victoriously.

The grin quickly faded into pained annoyance as he saw Cordelia looking shocked and awed at him through a window. Then he saw her mouthing something that looked suspiciously much like 'Xander Harris, you've got some explaining to do'.

Well, maybe not, but that was going to be the gist of it anyway.

"To quote Spike," Xander sighed as he facepalmed himself, "bugger!"

x

* * *

x

"My tests say that I should look into law enforcement - duh! - and environmental design," Buffy said as she and Willow were on their way to their career fair booths

"Environmental design. That's landscaping, right?" Willow asked.

"I checked the 'shrub' box," Buffy sighed, "but landscaping was yesterday, so law enforcement it is."

As they approached their favorite lounge couches Buffy noticed a young man looking very interested towards her friend.

"Hey, Will," she whispered, "don't look, OK, but.. No, don't look! That guy over there is totally checking you out."

"Oh, that's Oz," Willow said using her peripheral eye thing, "he's expressing computer nerd solidarity."

The boy got up and started walking towards the two of them.

"Really? Then why is he on his way over here right now," Buffy grinned. Willow starts to look very surprised.

"Told you," Buffy said smiling and made for a discrete exit. Willow tried to stop her but too late as Buffy's gone and Oz isn't.

"Hey," Oz said.

"Hey," Willow replied, "your hair! Is brown!

"Oh, yeah, sometimes.," Oz shrugged, "so, uh, did you decide? Are you gonna be a Corporate Computer Suit Guy?"

"Oh. Uh, well," Willow said still uncomfortable, "I-I think I'm gonna finish high school first. What about you?

Oz shook his head.

"I'm not really a computer person, you know," he said, then he said conspiratorially, "or a work of any kind person."

"They why'd they select you?" Willow asked

"Oh, I sorta test well," Oz shrugged, "y'know, which is cool. E-except that it leads to jobs."

"Well, don't you have some ambition?" Willow asked

"Oh, yeah! Yeah," Oz said passionately, "E-flat, diminished ninth."

"Huh?"

Oz explained.

"Well, the E-flat, it's, it's doable, but that diminished ninth, y'know, it's a man's chord. Now, you could lose a finger."

x

* * *

x

Smiling for her good friend's fortune Buffy reached the law enforcement table, took a big sigh as she signed up and joined the others present. A female officer of the SDPD had a clipboard and looked it over to see if everybody was present.

"Alright, listen up," the female cop said, "and answer when I call your name. Buffy Summers?"

No sooner as Buffy had raised her hand when the cop dropped down the clipboard and drew her gun at Buffy. Instinctively Buffy reached for the cops hands and pushed the gun upwards, sending the first bullet into the ceiling.

The sound of gunfire caused panic in the school hall. As people start to run for cover Buffy and the female cop continued their struggle. Although she looked fully human Buffy found the woman to be anything but human in strength. If she had been human it would have been over in a heartbeat. As they struggled another shot headed for the ceiling. Buffy finally managed to get in some knee to gut action. The cop fell to the floor and dropped her gun.

She had however a backup gun and reached for it. Before Buffy can react she fired it. Buffy closed her eyes and crossed her arms before her. She felt the impact, some pain but nowhere near as much as she had expected. As she openeds her eyes however she noticed no blood but her chi flame burning weakly around her.

"No way," the female cop exclaimed. Buffy however noticed a bullet laying before her on the ground, heavily deformed as if having hit the toughest armor. She looked up and into the eyes of her assassin.

"Yes way," Buffy grinned. The female cop recognized this was more then she could handle and started firing blindly as she made for a hasty retreat.

"GET DOWN!," Buffy yelled to everyone who is still in the firing line.

The female cop ran past Willow and Oz.

"LOOK OUT," Oz yelled as the cop fired off another round. He grabbed Willow to pull her to safety but in doing so he a bullet hit him in the arm.

Suddenly Kendra appeared as if out of nowhere and kicked the gun out the female cop's hands, followed up by another kick that made her fall flat on her back. The cop however pulled out a blade and grabbed some kid called Jonathon hostage. The two Slayers stood still, unable to risk the boy's life. Slowly the female cop walked out of the door then threw him towards them and ran away.

Outside however she hadn't made it ten paces out of the door when a big smirking guy suddenly got in her way, a device clasped over his left eye and ear.

"Hello, my pretty," he smirked and floored her with a single punch that would have torn off the heads of lesser men. He then casually picked up her unconscious body and slung it over her shoulder.

"Nothing to see, people," the smirking man said to nobody in particular as he walked away, "just move along."

Seeing that Belmovekk had captured the assassin, Buffy walked back inside and turned her attention to Oz.

"How is he?" she asked Willow.

"He's shot," Willow said all worried, "are you OK?

"I, uh, I'm shot y'know," Oz replief and starts to laugh, "wow! It's odd! And painful."

"I tink we should go," Kendra said as she heard sirens in the distance. Buffy nodded. But first she walked back towards the law enforcement stand and picked up the bullet.

"W-was that a demonstration?" a very dazed and shaken Jonathon asked as they past him on the way out.

x

* * *

x

In the library Belmovekk sat laid back in one of the chairs with his feet on the table while Giles was busy debriefing Buffy.

"She is definitely one of the Taraka gang, Giles, and way gun happy," Buffy said as Giles inspected her.

"This, um, Oz chap, he, he, he's alright?" Giles asked to Willow.

"The paramedic said it was only a scrape," Willow said still shaken, "thank goodness."

The doors of the library swung open and Cordelia and Xander came in. Kendra hopped off the counter and tried to head them off.

"Down, girl," Buffy said casually over her shoulder. Kendra stopped in her tracks but wearily eyed Xander who walked up to the table.

"Who sponsored career day today?" Xander asked pointing behind him, "the British Soccer Fan Association?

"We had a, a rather violent visit from the Order of Taraka," Giles said, "and it happens to be football, not soccer."

Xander nodded, then he rested his hands on the back of a chair.

"You wanna talk Order of Taraka," he said, "we just met the king 'freak' of the…. Hello?"

Xander just noticed Kendra and checked her out. Kendra looked embarrassed at the floor, humbling herself before Xander.

"Oh, forgive me," Giles said, "uh, Xander, Cordelia, this is Kendra. Uh, i-it's rather complicated, but she's also a Slayer."

"Hi. Nice to meet you," Cordelia said taking it all in stride. After worm guy and super Xander, what's one more Slayer?

"A Slayer, huh?" Xander said leaning over to Buffy, "I knew this 'I'm the only one, I'm the only one' thing was just an attention-getter."

"Just say hello, Xander," Buffy replied slightly annoyed. Xander's clever remarks opened a wound she had been trying to ignore for hours now.

Xander walked up to Kendra.

"Welcome," he said, "so! You're a Slayer, huh? I like that in a woman."

"Uh..., I hope..., I tank you..., I mean, sir, um..., I will be of service," Kendra stuttered, no longer all business but all nerves.

"Great! Good. It's good to be a giver," Xander said and went back to the table to pull up a chair to sit in next to Belmovekk.

"So nice of you to join in all the exciting action," he said to the Saiyan. The Saiyan just raised an eyebrow and used it to points upwards. Xander looked up to the ceiling and noticed an unconscious female police officer crucified to the ceiling with bands of chi holding her in place.

"Oh, forget I said anything," he said.

"Xander, um, this, this, uh, assassin you encountered, what, uh, what did he look like," Giles asked curious.

"Like that," Xander said and to his disgust pulled out a burned worm from his shaggy hair. And dropped it onto a book on the table.

"Uhh! Uhh! OhmiGod, There's more of them! I'm showering," Cordelia cried and ran out of the library.

"You and bug people, Xander. What's up with that?" Buffy asked with a barely concealed smile.

"No, but this dude was completely different than praying mantis lady," Xander said pointing to the dead bug, "he was a man of bugs, not a man who was a bug."

As if to illustrate his point Xander slammed the book shut, squashing the worm.

"The, uh, the-the-the important thing is everybody's alright," Giles said shaken, this day was getting better and better, "Still, it's quite apparent that we're under serious attack."

"No shit," Xander said sarcastically.

"These Tarakans are definitely serious," Buffy said.

"But not that strong if they have to use guns at you," Belmovekk scoffed.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that," Buffy asked and tossed the bullet to Belmovekk, "when did I become bulletproof? If I had known that I could have stopped Hill Street Blues up there without Oz getting shot."

The Saiyan picked up the bullet and examined it, then looked at her with a smile.

"I apologize, young lady. Normally you wouldn't, yet. But if you raise your chi it acts as a force field to stop these primitive things. From now on we will add guns to your training. I think within a few months no bullet will hurt you even if you do get caught fully unaware."

"Does that mean I'm also bulletproof?" Xander asked hopeful.

A gun materializes in Belmovekk's hand and he pointed it at Xander

"Would you like to test it?" the Saiyan asked dead serious.

"I think I'll pass," Xander said as he shook his head.

"Listen, there will be no shooting guns in here," Giles said sternly.

Belmovekk shrugged and the gun vanishes into a poof of smoke.

"Anyway," Giles continued, "uh, I fear the worst is still to come. I've, I-I've discovered the remaining keys to Drusilla's cure. The, uh, the ritual requires that, the presence of her sire, and it must take place in a church on the night of the new moon."

"I see," Belmovekk said noticing a very worried look on Buffy, "then these Tarakans were just a diversion to keep us distracted. Very ingenious."

"The new moon. But dat is tonight," Kendra said.

"Exactly," Giles said.

"They need Drusilla's sire," Buffy said looking at Giles, 'you mean the vamp that made her?"

"Yes," Giles said.

"Buffy, what is it?" Willow asked now concerned

"It is Angel, is it not?" Belmovekk asked.

"Yes," Buffy said, "he's Drusilla's sire."

"Man, that guy got major neck in his day," Xander said only to receive a sudden elbow in his back, "Auw! Willow, quit hitting me!"

Xander looked around angry at Willow who just smiled.

"Will this ritual kill him?" Buffy asked.

"Yes," Giles said, polishing cloth at the ready, "I'm afraid it will."

Buffy looks towards Belmovekk, who is already tapping his scouter as he looked around. To no avail though.

"No, I cannot detect him," he said, "he's either gone, unconscious or very deep underground."

"We need to find this church," Buffy said, "we need to find where this ritual is gonna take place!"

"Agreed, and we must work quickly," Giles said, "we have five hours before sundown."

"Don't worry, Buffy, we'll save Angel," Willow said trying to comfort her friend.

"Angel? But our priority is to stop Drusilla," Kendra protested not believing her ears.

"Angel's our friend," Xander said, surprising himself by saying it so he quickly adds, "except of course I don't like him."

"Angel is a vampire," Kendra said vehemently. Although these people have some amazing abilities and they appear to have good intentions they do seem to be lacking in the right priorities.

"I'm the Slayer," she continued, "you're de Slayer. We kill vampires. We don't save them!"

"Angel is our friend," Buffy said, "he helps us, we help him. Simple as that."

"Friend," Kendra snorts in disbelief, "you mean boyfriend? You're de vampire Slayer, not the vampire Layer."

Before anyone can react Buffy lunged at Kendra with murder in her eyes. Only Belmovekk's timely grab prevented her from reaching her fellow Slayer. Who looked surprised at Buffy's outburst

"Children, behave," the Saiyan said and looked at Kendra, "you, is this how Zabuto trained you?"

The mere mentioning of his name was enough for Kendra to look away in shame.

"And you," he said to Buffy, "this is not helping Angel."

"I'm sorry," Buffy said, then looked at Kendra again, "it's just…, it's like waiting up one day and finding you have some evil twin. This two Slayer gig is freaking me out."

"Freak out later," the Saiyan said sternly, "for now the mission comes first."

"Which is..?" Buffy asked.

"Stopping Spike and saving your boyfriend of course," the Saiyan said stone faced.

"You're teasing me," Buffy snorted.

"If you behave like a child then why be surprised if people treat you like one?" Belmovekk said calmly, " now kiss and make up."

"Look, I'm sorry I freaked out at you," Buffy said to Kendra, "you've got your priorities, and I've got mine. Right now they mesh. So, are you gonna help me or what?"

"Say please, young lady," the Saiyan said.

"OK," Buffy said rolling her eyes upwards, "please. Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"I'm wit you," Kendra said hesitantly

"Good." Buffy nodded, "cause I've had it. Spike is going down. You can attack me, you can send assassins after me, that's fine. But nobody messes with my boyfriend!"

"Fine, we go and save his undead ass," Belmovekk said, "anyone know where he was last seen or headed?"

"Willy's" the two Slayers say in tandem.

"What about our Key Stone Cop?" Xander asked and points upwards, "don't we have to interrogate her first?"

"T-t-that won't help much," Giles said, "the order of Taraka is fanatical. No amount of torture can make them talk."

"But we can't just leave her there?" Buffy objected

"Oh, I think she will come in handy," Belmovekk said, "I will bring her along. I think the locals need an object lesson."

"Object lessons are those things where someone in the class gets used as an example, right," Xander asked cautiously.

"And you claim you do not learn anything," the Saiyan smiled, "Are you coming along?"

"Thanks," Xander said and to his disgust pulled another dead worm from the back of his clothes, "but I think I'll go and shower."

x

* * *

x

In Willy's bar it was starting to get busy as the local vamp/demon clientele filtered in when suddenly a demon got thrown in and crashed violently against a wall. All the bar occupants look up and although this wasn't that uncommon, they do start to get that queasy feeling that maybe today was a very bad day to get out of bed. A suspicion that got confirmed as the Slayer walked into the bar, followed by a colored girl and a very big guy, arms covered in tattoos, wearing an odd eyepiece and a bound police woman over his shoulder.

The big man carrying the woman wandered over to barkeeper Willy behind the bar and dumped the woman in front of him.

"Willy, Willy, Willy, " the man said and hopped on a bar stool. The Slayer and the other girl took up position in front of the exit.

"What's up, mister B.?" Willy stuttered nervously, which in turn made the clientele nervous too. For the clientele knew that when Willy gets nervous they should get nervous also.

"She is Tarakan," a demon said as he recognized what the woman really is.

"Very perceptive," the man said and looked at Willy again, staring deeply in his eyes.

"Now Willy, I'm looking for Angel."

"I haven't seen him," Willy stammered shifty, "he didn't come by here after he and she had their little get together."

Willy pointed at the colored girl. The man leaned forward to get closer to Willy.

"Willy," he said softly, yet strangely audible to everyone, even in the back, "surely you are not lying to me, are you not?"

The smile that the man, whom Willy had identified as mister B., gave him crept him out more then chaos demons itself and instinctively he put his hands on the pocket containing the money Spike gave him.

"I-I-I-I wouldn't lie to y-y-you, mister B. I s-s-s-swear on my mother's grave!"

"Your mother is alive and well in San Diego, Willy," the man smiled calmly.

"I-I-I-I mean as i-i-i-if she were already in her g-g-g-grave, mister B. Metaphorically s-s-s-speaking."

"You know Willy, when you start using big words I get nervous,' the big man said shaking his head disapprovingly.

"It's the truth, mister B-B-B-B! W-w-w-what are you going to d-d-d-do with this Tarakan assassin?"

"You will find out," the man said softly, "all of you will."

The big man stood up and picked up the Tarakan, ripped of her handcuffs as if they were nothing and threw her against the wall, knocking the air out of her. At the same time white flames appeared around the man and a strong wind started to blow throughout the establishment. Lightning fast the man moved forward, seemingly shifting his position and grabbed the Tarakan assassin and pinned her against the wall with his left hand, holding her by the throat. A demon made a run for the door but the Slayer kicked him back effortlessly.

"Uh, uh," she said and wiggled her finger disapprovingly.

"This Tarakan, and others of their order violated the edict," the Slayer announced to everyone in the bar, "they are guilty of plotting against the peace and harming humans. You all know the punishment for that!"

The man started to grin evilly and ripped of the gag preventing the Tarakan from speaking.

"I won't talk," she said defiantly, "others of my order will come and finish the job and avenge me!"

"Many have said that, Tarakan," the man said smirking then looked at the Slayer.

She nodded. The man grinned ferally in response then held up his right hand. Arcs of electricity started to appear around it, growing in intensity. When it sparked to his satisfaction he balled his hand into a fist and punched the Tarakan in the gut. There was so much power behind the blow that it broke through her skin into her abdomen and large cracks appeared into the wall behind her. The woman flinched as pain and her breath was knocked out of her but she didn't not scream.

"Oops, I seem to have misjudged my strength," the man smirked, "then again, I always wanted to know if you could do THIS!"

Suddenly the woman started to spasm wildly as electrical sparks flew from her stomach wound. To everyone's horror she was being electrocuted from the inside. The man fired electrical attack after electrical attack into her with visible glee. The woman started to scream and cough up blood. She may not have been entirely human and able to take more punishment then humans but by now she was squealing like a pig.

"Oh, that is a nasty smell you are starting to develop," the man said after a while, "a bit like burnt flesh. Let me ease your suffering...by grabbing something else!"

True to his word the man shifted his arm a bit deeper into the woman and resumed his 'electroshock therapy'. All the vamps and demons in the bar watched the proceedings in dead silence, unable to look away at the spectacle. Like all things evil, they delighted in causing hurt, but not at being the victim. Or run the risk of becoming one

"You know Tarakan," the man said after several minutes of electrical torture, "I am getting bored of frying your organs. You appear to be someone who can take it and then some, so how about we do something else?"

The man started to increase the tear in her stomach and yanked out various organs and dropped them on the floor at her feet. By the time he had emptied her stomach she had lost consciousness. By now however he had a free reign inside. He looked over his shoulder at his audience and smiled at them while he wiggled his fingers in her stomach. Then he looked back at her, put his hand near her heart and applied a little electricity. That jolted her back to the land of the living.

"Ah, I see you are back with us," he said gently, "now that I have tidied up your innards I can go for a more direct approach. While you may be half demon, nature still seems to have equipped you with a spinal cord."

The man put his hand on her spinal column and fired electricity straight into her nerves. Before she had screamed like a pig, now it was deafening. Some of the demons looked at the Slayer, almost pleading with her to stop the torture. She just looked on without any emotion her face. The black girl looked very horrified but she didn't move from her spot.

For two more minutes the torture continued. By that time the screams had diminished to a raw croak as her voice had cracked.

"That is enough," the Slayer eventually said, "she has been sufficiently punished."

The man looked at the Slayer, slightly annoyed that he was being interrupted from his fun. Then he fired off a last electrical attack which had her spasming even more then before.

"You are lucky, Tarakan," he said in disgust, "if it had been up to me I would have stuck a finger in your skull and see how much direct stimulation you could have taken."

Then the man crushes the Tarakan's neck with his other hand and snapped her head cleanly off. Head and body fell into the pile of her innards. The man looked at Willy again and went back to the bar and hopped on the bar stool again in front of the shaking barman.

"Now Willy, let us talk again," the man said smiling as he rested his bloodied hands on the counter, "I know you have been lying. You cannot help it, you are a pathological liar. It is written all over your face. But me and the Slayer here grow weary of it. We know you are in cahoots with Spike. Your customers know it, the penalty for your plotting means they pay the price, remember? And we have just seen how they might pay it. So tell us again. Where is Angel and to which church will Spike take him?"

"I don't know, mister B.," Willy said, almost crying as he'd just wet his pants.

"He is lying," a demon said. The man turned his head and looked at the demon.

"Of course he is lying," the man known as mister B. said, "the question is, what do you know?"

"I saw him and Spike together in the sewers today," the demon said and pointed down below to the sewers, "Spike gave him money and then took Angel away. Where I do not know! I make it my business not to get involved of those of others."

"Well done, and a most laudable philosophy. I think that deserves a reward," the man said and looked at the Slayer. She nodded.

"Alright," the man said and pointed towards the door, "the Slayer taketh, but the Slayer also giveth. You are free to go."

The demon looked relieved and sped out of the bar like the hounds of hell were on his trail. Meanwhile the man looked back at Willy holding up two bloodied fingers.

"Willy, Willy, Willy! That's two times you have been lying to me and the Slayer. Now do not lie to us a third time. You maybe human but in your case I no longer care. You are seriously asking for some electroshock therapy."

The man put down one finger and sparks started to run across the remaining one.

"Alright, alright, mister B. I'm sorry," Willy broke down crying, "Spike has him. He'll take him to the abandoned church at 19th street."

The man stood up and looked in disgust at the sobbing barman.

"Oh, Willy, Willy, Willy, what are we to do with you?"

"He had me scared mister B," Willy cried, "I wanted to tell, but I was afraid after I lied and then."

"And we do not scare you, Willy?" the man said leaning over, "I feel insulted. The Slayer there feels insulted."

"I'm sorry," Willy cried pathetically now

The man shook his head and turned around as he looked at the assembled vamp/demon clientele.

"Willy here has sinned against the edict by conspiring with Spike. Now if it were up to me he is going to join the Tarakan there," the man said and pointed towards the Tarakan's remains, "unfortunately, the Slayer has the last say in this matter and declared humans off bounds. Willy is fortunate indeed that he is human. So unfortunately for you guys five of you have to die."

Before the room can erupt in protest the man fired of five energy blasts that vaporizes five vamps and demons.

"Consider yourselves lucky I am pressed for time or I would have gone slow. Now however, the Slayer does recognize the need for fairness. Willy here did sin. So for the remainder of this night the Slayers protection of one human in particular, namely Willy here, is lifted. As long as he is not killed, turned or permanently harmed you can all do with him as you wish. Prey to whatever demon Gods you worship that Spike does not harm anyone else before we get to him."

The man turned to the Slayer and her companion and they left the bar.

"But..., but..., but..., MISTER B!" Willy yelled as this clientele rushed towards him.

x

* * *

x

As soon as they passed around the corner both Buffy and Kendra dropped to their knees and started to vomit violently. Belmovekk hunched down beside girls.

"Are you girls alright?" he asked concerned in a gentle tone that seemed completely at odds with his earlier behavior.

"Dat was terrible," Kendra said once she had nothing left to vomit in her stomach.

"How can you do these things?" Buffy coughed as she looked up to him.

The Saiyan bit his lip and looked away for a moment, as if in looking for an answer.

"That is how you keep them in line through terror, young lady." he finally said, "they must fear you more then you fear them. I do not like doing it but I understand it has to be done. The moment we issued the edict we knew we had to do stuff like that."

"I know," Buffy said still retching but without anything coming up, "my head understands but my stomach doesn't."

Belmovekk smiled and put each hand on one girl's shoulder.

"For what it is worth, I am proud of how you guys handled yourself by keeping it cool. I was very worried about that. News of what happened tonight will spread. We will be riding the mellow after this for a long time to come"

"And what now?" Kendra asked as she got up.

"Now we go to that church, stop Spike and rescue Angel," Belmovekk said.

"Shouldn't we return to de Watcher?" she asked.

"Excuse me," Buffy said, "while we run to Giles, this whole thing could go down!

"But it is procedure," Kendra said defensively, "de Watcher's handbook said."

"Screw the book! It's brainless," Buffy said, "you mean! If we don't go now, Angel could die."

"Is dat all you're worried about? Your boyfriend," Kendra objected.

"Girls, please," Belmovekk said chiding, "not again! Besides, it is, by your reckoning, 1998. Unlike my planet this one has technology. Let us give Master Giles a call, shall we?"

The two Slayers eye each other up with their evil eye while Belmovekk used a cell phone and gave Giles the news.

"By the God's," Belmovekk sighed afterwards, "one Slayer is a full time job. Two is a living nightmare."

x

x

Inside the church Spike had finished the last preparations for his ritual. He has his old buddy Angel nicely strapped up with Drusilla and his Broodness nicely drugged up as well. And plenty of it as well. The old bugger nearly had gotten away at some point. Time to start though. He picked up a burning incense censer and started to walk through the main isle of the church.

"Eligor. I name thee. Bringer of war, poisoners, pariahs, grand obscenity," he chanted and turned to face the altar, "Eligor, wretched master of decay, bring your black medicine."

"Black medicine," Drusilla repeated in a dreamy voice

Spike stepped up to the altar, put down the censer and picked up the cross of Du Lac upside down with a gloved hand.

"Come," he said loudly, "restore your most impious, murderous child,"

"Murderous child," Drusilla repeated again.

Spike using his other hand pulls out a dagger that had been sheathed inside the cross of Du Lac. No longer needing the cross he puts it down.

"From the blood of the sire she is risen," he said and took Drusilla's left hand to Angel's bound right hand. She grabbed it and held on.

"From the blood of the sire, she shall rise again."

Using all his force Spike stabbed both Drusilla and Angels hands together. Even though he's heavily drugged up Angel whimpered in pain.

Suddenly a bright light began to shine from their wounds. A blindingly bright pink light emanating from their hands. It peaked, then died down to almost nothing. Strength however flew now from Angel into Drusilla. Although still holding on she started to lean back as Angel's strength flowed into her.

"Right then," Spike said with some measure of relief, "now we just let them come to a simmering boil, and remove to a low flame."

He sat down and pulled out a packet of cigarettes to light up a fag. No sooner had he lit it as one of Spike's minions burst into the church.

"I told you not to interrupt us," Spike said in annoyance.

"I'm sorry master," the minion said both apologetic and urgent. "but the Slayer was seen in Willy's bar."

"So?" he snorted.

"She had that guy with him."

"Which one, you dunce," Spike said even more annoyed, then a realization dawned upon him, "oh, you mean the one that isn't droopy or the Watcher. The scary one."

There had been rumors throughout Sunnydale's underground that the Slayer had a new ally. Mister B. Willy had named him. Other then that he looked quite scary and was covered in freaky tattoos he hadn't actually done much but hang around the Slayer. Something old, Dru had once called him.

"Yes." the minion said, "he carried a Tarakan assassin. From what I heard she had him torture the Tarakan to death. Really gruesome too, the demon I talked too had shit his pants. Real messy. His pants that is."

"Bugger," Spike said as he extinguished his cigarette, "that means Willy will probably have spilled his beans by now. OK, it's good that we are prepared. Get the boys ready."

The minion nodded and left the church.

"Come to dance with your new pet, Slayer?" Spike said to no one in particular, "I hope you like my party!"

x

* * *

x

"There are several of them," Belmovekk said as he tapped his scouter, "and there is something with the church. I think it is a force field, although I wonder where the hell this Spike got his hands on one."

They were standing across the street from the church where Spike held Angel, hiding around a corner.

"You know, technology isn't the answer for everything," Buffy said, "It could be magical."

"If it is magicks we need de watcher," Kendra suggested.

"Giles did say he and Xander were coming ASAP," Buffy said.

"I do not think your boyfriend has that much time," Belmovekk said.

"Can you tear it down, even if it is magic?" Buffy asked concerned.

"Young lady, every force field can be torn down with enough power," Belmovekk snorted, "lets go save your boyfriend."

They crossed the road to the church. Although the door was open a slight pinkish hue gave away where the force field ran. Inside the hall a man stood chanting while holding up a large tome.

"You are the magician," Belmovekk asked, the word magician sounding almost venomous. The man just looked up with one eye but keeps chanting.

"I bet he's another Tarakan," Buffy said, "Giles did say some of them had powers."

"Makes sense," Belmovekk agreed, "if they hire out muscle then why not magical muscle as well? OK, let's see how good he is."

Belmovekk held out his right hand and let loose his chi against the magical force field. Magician guy started to chant harder in response. For now the force field held.

"Not bad," the Saiyan said impressed and raised his level to greater heights. His chi flame came into being and the assault started anew. Sweat started to appear on magician guy's forehead but he kept up his chant.

"I think I can bring it down by the power of my will alone," Belmovekk said, "but it will take time! I think it is time for another object lesson. These Tarakans must learn that you cannot mess with us. Young lady, once I am inside there are several vampires, I want you to take them out. Kendra, you are with me. Do not be scared, child. I am just going to change a bit."

"Oh," Buffy said as she realized what he was going to do, "like that again?"

Belmovekk nodded.

"Can we help?" a familiar voice said as Giles and Xander arrived running.

"Nice of you to finally show up," Buffy said snippy.

"That is because you've never ridden Giles' geek machine," Xander said, "that thing barely makes the speed limit."

"Magical force field?" Giles asked as he appraised the situation, "how, how interesting. If I had known I could have brought the right, um, book along."

"No time," Buffy said, "Angel, dark ritual inside, remember?"

Belmovekk nodded then yelled as he raised his chi to even greater heights. His hair went up and turned to gold, as did his chi flame. But it was the eyes that had Kendra step back in fear. The most cold dark blue green in both the pupils and the irises. It made scary Belmovekk from the bar look like a puppy.

To the credit of the Tarakan magician, although he was shaken to the core seeing the transformation happen, he kept up his chanting flawlessly. Not that it mattered because Belmovekk now walked through his force field as if it was nothing. The pinkish hue disappeared and the shock of having his force field broken had the Tarakan magician collapse in pain on the ground.

"With me, Xander," Buffy said and followed the Saiyan in, her own chi flame now blazing. Xander's erupted as well and he also went in.

"What is dat?" Kendra asked Giles stunned, "What is dat?"

"T-t-that my girl is his transformation, to , um, a more powerful state called Super Saiyan," Giles explained as he stepped inside also, "it's, um, something Saiyans can do. Come let's go."

Inside while Xander and Buffy attacked Spike's minions Belmovekk grabbed the Tarakan magician by the neck, and held him against the wood church door as Giles and Kendra passed behind him.

"Do you happen to know a female Tarakan assassin that likes to use guns to kill?" he asks. The eyes of the magician become a bit wider.

"So you do know her," Belmovekk grinned, "good. We captured her. I held her just like this in a bar, then stuck my fist inside her and electrocuted her from the inside. When I grew tired of that I yanked out her innards, electrocuted her some more and when that bore me I crushed her neck with this very hand and tore her head off."

It didn't seem possible but the eyes of the Tarakan magician grew even bigger.

"To bad I don't have time to do you up proper like her," the Saiyan said with some regret, "so I will just have to keep you around instead."

Belmovekk held up his other hand and a red hot iron stake appeared. He then drove that stake through the magician and nailed him onto the door.

"Stick around," he said smirking as he let go and left the magician stuck like an impaled butterfly on the door. He then turned and went into the church to meet Spike who stood at the other end of the church near the altar.

"Spike," Belmovekk said in a sing along way, "Spikey. You have been a very bad boy."

Spike looked at this weird golden haired glowing creature and thought scary one didn't really cover it.

"So you are the Big Scary?" he said calmly, still maintaining his bravado, "I have to admit, I like your style, mate."

"Thanks," Belmovekk said as he leaned on one of the church benches, "quite brilliant to distract us with these Tarakan clowns and to even use a magician. Even one as inept as he."

"Yeah, you know, it's hard to find good help these days," Spike shrugged, "very hard it would seem."

Belmovekk aimed his right hand and fired off an energy beam that cut the chain that held Angel and Drusilla.

"Master Giles, cut him loose," he said. Giles started running to Angel. Spike however vamped his face and looked like he was about to move to stop Giles.

"Make one move and your girlfriend is dust," Belmovekk said and a ball of fire appeared in front of his right hand.

"Are you mad," Spike yelled, "that would kill Angel as well!"

"Oh, I can be very precise," the Saiyan replied smirking arrogantly, "I am a regular precision guided smart bomb."

"Laser guided too by the looks of it," Spike said as he de-vamped, careful not to make the wrong move. Meanwhile Giles removed the dagger binding Angel and Drusilla and started to release Angel from his chains. Meanwhile Buffy and Xander, having destroyed the remainder of Spike's minions, ran up to Angel to check on him.

"He's very weak," Giles said, but he'll make it. He's also very drugged."

"I bloody well had to," Spike snorted, "he was way too powerful to keep around otherwise. But now I've seen Goldilocks here I understand. He's been feeding you guys the power twinkies."

"I may have had a hand in that," Belmovekk said smirking. It's been giving Spike the creeps. Those cold blue green eyes, that accursed golden aura, that contemptible smirk that Spike would give anything to wipe off that guy's face. It made Spike feel powerless and if there's one thing Spike hated it was feeling just that. Still he managed against all odds to maintain his bravado.

"Dru was right," he said as he took out a new cigarette and lit it up, "she said all along something had changed, that a new player had arrived. A big one. I should have focused on you instead of her. She's nothing compared to you. I shouldn't have hired those Tarakan clowns but Dr. Strangelove and a fully equipped B-52 strike. Preferably nuclear armed!"

"You've been a very bad boy, Spike," Belmovekk said, "remember the edict?"

"I didn't break anything," Spike objected, "all I wanted was to cure Dru. The edict didn't say I couldn't harm the Slayer or tap some juice from Angel. Who isn't exactly human either, thank you very much!"

"Your Tarakan assassin shot a human will attacking Buffy," Belmovekk smirks.

"Ah, come on," Spike said, "I specifically said to those guys, don't kill or harm any humans. It's not my fault those guys can't follow orders. If you let me and Dru go I shall refuse to pay them further."

"Nice try, Spike," the Saiyan said shaking his glowing head, "you hired them, you became responsible. You do not get to wash your hands because they were incompetent."

"I'll finish him," Buffy said as she got up from kneeling beside Angel, "I'll make him pay for what he did to Angel."

Belmovekk started stroking his goatee and looked at Kendra.

"I think Kendra should do it," he said.

"Why her?" Buffy asked surprised, "he's been a pain in my ass for quite some time. I deserve a shot at finishing Captain Peroxide."

"Look at him, young lady," Belmovekk said, "he is nowhere near you or even Xander's level. At least he will give Kendra a good workout. No need to pout, you may finish off his girlfriend. Would not want Spike to be lonely in Hell. Kendra, come here, child."

Still afraid for the Super Saiyan, Kendra comes forth hesitantly.

"This is Spike," Belmovekk said as he toned his chi flame down, but not his transformation, "he is also known as William the Bloody. Although rumor has it for his most God awful poetry."

"Oi! Do you mind!" Spike said indignant trying to keep up his reputation.

"He is an elite amongst vampire's," Belmovekk said ignoring the vampire, "almost a master vampire. He has lived for quite some time and in that time killed at least two Slayers. He is not to be underestimated. Now go and kick his ass, young lady."

Kendra nodded. At least this she knew. Ever since meeting Buffy and her odd friends she felt utterly useless as everybody seemed to be stronger, stranger or plain weirder then her. But this vampire, that at least she understood. No glowing aura's, no energy balls or energy beams. Just the very things she's trained for most of her life.

"Who the hell is this?" Spike asked as Kendra steps forward to meet him.

"I'm Kendra, de vampire Slayer!"

Spike turned around and looks at Buffy.

"There's two of you these days?" he asks surprised.

"Hey, don't blame me," Buffy shrugged, "I didn't do it. Blame the Master. See it as your lucky day."

Before Spike could say anything Kendra attacked with a roundhouse kick getting Spike's attention. He vamped out and both begin their fight in earnest. Like Kendra at least this he knew. No poncy energy stuff. Just a vampire vs. a Slayer. As it should be.

"She has good technique," Xander commented as he came to stand next to Belmovekk.

"That she has," the Super Saiyan agreed folding his arms across his chest, "although the vampire fights with more heart. A worthy foe."

"I assume you step in if she loses?" Xander asked

"Maybe," Belmovekk shrugged.

Meanwhile the fight went pretty even. Kendra and Spike both deal out as good as they get in return.

"Her technique is, um , flawless," Giles said admiring, within earshot of Buffy.

"It lacks passion," Buffy snorted disapproving.

Spike meanwhile struck at Kendra, an attack she managed to dodge. But not without ripping her shirt. Which caused her eyes to pop out in anger

"Dat's me favrit shirt! Dat's me only' shirt," she yelled as she got pissed. Now she really started to clobber Spike.

"There's the passion," Buffy said approvingly.

Spike was now starting to lose the fight and it didn't go unnoticed. Desperate times call for desperate measures, he can't help but think and as luck happened he still had one ace left to play, be it a small one. He sidestepped Kendra, dealt out a quick blow to distract her, then he ran for the nearest candle which he threw against the draperies of the church. Which he had soaked in oil beforehand to erase his trail afterwards. Now an entire wall of the church lit up in flames and the fire kept on spreading from there. With everybody's attention distracted Spike raced for the altar and grabbed Drusilla.

"Sorry, baby. Gotta go," he said unceremoniously and made for the nearest exit.

"He's getting away," Kendra yelled. Belmovekk didn't lift a finger to stop Spike but gestured with his eyes towards Buffy. She then raised her arm and fired off a quick energy blast that hit the church organ underneath which Spike happened to run. With a load crash it fell upon Spike and Drusilla.

"Squashed like the bug that he is," Xander said approvingly as the dust settled, "and it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."

"Let us go," Belmovekk said giving Buffy an approving nod. Everybody raced to leave the now burning church with Buffy carrying Angel. Belmovekk left last and pulled the stake out of the Tarakan magician. He grabbed the magician and threw him far out onto the street. Then Belmovekk knelt by the injured magician who looked terrified at the Super Saiyan.

"I take it you have seen everything?" Belmovekk asked. The Magician nodded. Belmovekk smirked one of his more evil grins and a red hot pointed hook appears in his right hand. The kind people use to sink into something and then drag something out along with it. In this case the Super Saiyan sunk the hook into the magician's gut, then yanked it out again, spilling the man's entrails all over the street. Then he stood up straight.

"Go back to your superiors, magician, and tell them if the Order ever sends another assassin, conjurer or just plain anybody here I will do to all of them what I just did to you, then hang them all using their own entrails. I will decorate every lamppost in Sunnydale with Tarakans until I run out Tarakans, or lampposts. You get that!"

The Tarakan magician clutching his spilled guts nodded. Belmovekk throws away the hook and walks away towards his friends, leaving the magician to gather his innards and try to stuff them back in.

"What is it with you and innards," Buffy asked frowning as Belmovekk joined them. The Saiyan powered down and just smirked in response.

x

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x

The next day, as Oz was putting his moves on Willow and both Xander and Cordelia were figuring out how opposites still attracted one another Buffy and Belmovekk walk Kendra to her waiting taxi.

"It is too bad you cannot stay for a few days," Belmovekk said to the latest Slayer, "I would not mind teaching you the basics."

"Me watcher needs me," Kendra replied, "some vampires."

"I understand, child," Belmovekk nodded.

"OK, Belmo," Buffy said as she made a shooing gesture, "some privacy please for some one on one girl talk."

"I can take a hint," the Saiyan said and took a walk.

"I don't trust him," Kendra said once she thought him to be out of hearing distance, "there is something wrong with him."

"Belmo?" Buffy said as she looked over her shoulder at the Saiyan, "Whatever makes you think that?"

"De way he tortured dat woman in de bar," Kendra replied, "he was enjoying dat way too much."

"It's what we have to do sometimes," Buffy said defending the Saiyan. Although a small part of her couldn't help but think Kendra had a point as a large part of her was appalled by what had happened.

"He's very protective," she finally said, "and he is a Saiyan. If you want real scary, go to Silicone Valley and meet his fellow Saiyan who lives there. He makes Belmo look like a lamb by comparison. If you want to be power-freaked, he's the guy to visit."

"Maybe," Kendra said thinking she could do without knowing there was another one, so she changed the subject, "tank you for de shirt, it was very generous of you."

Buffy smiled at the compliment.

"Hey, it looks better on.. well, me, but no worries. Now, when you get to the airport."

"I get on de plane with me ticket," Kendra nodded, "and sit in a seat. Not de cargo hold."

"Very good," Buffy smiled approvingly.

"Dat is 'not' traveling under cover" though," Kendra couldn't help object.

"Exactly," Buffy smiled, "relax! You earned it. Sit in your seat, you eat your peanuts, you watch the movie, well, unless it's about a dog or Chevy Chase."

"I'll remember," Kendra replied and opened the taxi's door.

"I, um.. I just wanted to thank you.. for helping me save Angel, " Buffy said, stopping Kendra from entering.

"I didn't have to do much," Kendra said slightly uncomfortable, "you guys did most of de work."

"Still, you came along when you could have left."

"I did, didn't I?" Kendra smiled, then her smile faded as she shakes her head, "mm. Am not tellin' me Watcher about dat though. It is too strange dat a Slayer loves a vampire."

"Tell me about it," Buffy couldn't help but agree. In a way it _was_ weird.

"Still, he is pretty cute," Kendra smiled, causing Buffy to also smile.

"Well, maybe they won't fire me for dating him."

Kendra's smile faded into seriousness.

"You always do dat," she said.

"Do what?" Buffy asked surprised.

"You talk about slaying like it's a job. It's not. It's who you are."

"Did you get that from your handbook?" Buffy asked after a while.

Kendra shook her head.

"From you."

"I guess it's something I really can't fight," Buffy sighed, "I'm a freak."

"Not de only freak," Kendra said and reached out to touch Buffy's hand.

"Not anymore," Buffy agreed.

Both Slayers look at each other, then Buffy tried to hug her fellow Slayer. She backed away though.

"I don't hug," Kendra said.

"Right. No. Good. Hate hugs," Buffy said and watched how Kendra boarded her taxi and left.

"She is right though," Belmovekk's voice said behind her once the taxi is out of sight.

"You know, Belmo, there are some who say there is a very special place in Hell for eavesdropping."

"Privacy is a human concept," the Saiyan replied casually.

"You are not on Vegeta anymore," Buffy sighed annoyed as she started walking back to school, "you are on Earth now."

"Still does not mean she was wrong, young lady," the Saiyan called after her, "you do have a nasty habit of hating what you are. Always dreaming about that normal life you talk about with Willow."

Buffy stopped and turned around.

"What! Are you turning into Saiyan stalker boy now?"

Belmovekk looked at her sadly.

"I do not have to, young lady," he said, "it is written all over you. You dwell upon that which cannot be changed. It can get you killed, you know? It could get others killed. Until you learn to come to terms with what you are you will always feel that hole inside."

Buffy stopped for a while, then she moved on and moved back inside school, leaving the Saiyan to shake his head disapprovingly by himself.

x

* * *

x

That night, in a burnt out church, scene of a recent battle, something stirred underneath the rubble of the pipe organ. Suddenly rubble got thrown everywhere as a flame of pure white chi bursts through. Drusilla, her chi flame burning like a bright aura around her looked at herself and marveled.

"My oh my, Angel," she said in amazement, "what a gift!"

She then started to pick up heavy pieces of stone and pipe organ as if they were nothing until she found what she was looking for. Spike. Unconscious yet alive. In the vampiric sense of the word of course.

"Don't worry, dear heart," she said and picked him up gently, "I'll see that you get strong again. Like me!

Holding his damaged and unconscious body she walked out of the church.

x

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x

AN 2017: _Just changed the odd end here and there. Most of it was tense changing from present to past. That's the thing when you used transcripts. They're all written in the present tense so almost inadvertently you start writing in the present tense as well._


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

 **'Meet Ted'**

x

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AN: _After the previous chapters, the episode rewrites, I return to what I probably do better. Take something, a story element from an episode and go from there instead._

x

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x

"Movekk?" Vegeta grunted as what passed for a greeting as the Saiyan sorcerer entered the Capsule Corp. HQ lobby wearing his training shorts and a sweaty towel, "What in the Seven Hells are you doing here?"

"Looking for your girlfriend, my prince," Belmovekk answered as he put down a heavy crate he had been carrying from Sunnydale to the Capsule Corp HQ.

"She's is not my girlfriend," Vegeta said defensively, "she's with that fool Yamcha, remember?"

"Then why do I always get the feeling that whenever I open a closet here at Capsule Corp. I may find you two doing the smoochies, my prince?" the Saiyan sorcerer grinned as he sat down on his own crate

"What the Hell are you talking about, Movekk! I wouldn't go near that women if Freeza himself was forcing me. Infuriating wench. No wonder Yamcha is such a pitiful fool. With a woman like that who needs enemies."

"I thought they had broken up, and since you live here..."

"Only because of the gravity gym, Movekk, only because of that gravity gym. And the free food. And wipe that disgusting grin of your face! Why would it concern met what they do. They are always breaking up and getting together again. Besides rutting it's all they ever do."

"Are you guys talking about me?" a woman's voice asked.

"Hi there, Bulma," Belmovekk said as he got up, greeting Bulma Briefs, vice-CEO of one of the biggest high tech companies this side of the world, "just talking about what's going on in the world."

Vegeta didn't deem her worthy to reply. He just stood there.

"So you were talking about me and my love life?" Bulma said, I'd never thought I'd live to see the day to hear two Saiyans gossiping like a bunch of old women."

"Pff," Vegeta snorted turning his back on her, "as if I care what you and that fool are up to,"

"Don't talk to me about Yamcha," she said annoyed, "I'm still not talking to that fool."

Vegeta looked at Belmovekk with an expression that said, you see?

"Hey, I was just making small talk, my prince," Belmovekk replied scratching his hair, "although I have to admit that the constant sex obsessions of a bunch of Sunnydale teens after a while permeates the skin."

"These human children have to much free time on their hands," Vegeta said disapproving.

"That is what I always say," Belmovekk agreed as he sat back on the crate.

"If they can still talk you're not training them hard enough," Vegeta frowning.

"So, your new gravity gym, is working out?" Bulma asked.

"I am loving it, Bulma," Belmovekk said with a big smile, "when I cannot sleep I turn it on to 10G's and just sleep away the sleep of innocents."

"I do that too sometimes," Vegeta added.

"Saiyans!" Bulma said as she shook her head dejected.

"But Bulma, 10 G makes me feel like I am home again," Belmovekk protested, "Planet Vegeta had 10 G's."

"This world is indeed too soft," Vegeta agreed, "everything is too light. No wonder that fool Kakarot got soft. Or you with your strays, Movekk."

"And how is everybody doing?" Bulma asked, giving Vegeta the odd stare.

"As best as they can living on top of the Mouth to Hell, Bulma. I can honestly say that Sunnydale is the most surreal and twisted place in the universe I have ever come across. Luckily the vampires, demons and other weird things are keeping quiet so we are, as they say it, riding the mellow for the moment."

"You should just exterminate the lot," Vegeta said casually, "the moment I saw my first vampire in San Francisco I cleaned out the place. Disgusting vile creatures! Could have done it in a single day too if this crazy woman here didn't keep nagging me about so called innocents."

"For the last time, Vegeta," Bulma said as she looked angrily at the Saiyan prince, "you don't blow up all of San Francisco if you want to kill some vampires!"

"Be quiet, woman, you're lucky you own the gravity gym," Vegeta said, giving her his backside to look at again.

"Which I can turn off at any moment of my choosing, so be nice," Bulma replied and stuck out her tongue.

"People, please," Belmovekk said trying to prevent things from blowing up, "it is of no consequence. As far as vamps, demons and other weirdness is concerned San Francisco is the butt end of the universe compared to Sunnydale. It is the bloody Hellmouth which keeps me from cleaning out the place. It wreaks havoc with my senses and my scouter. As long as they hide underground there could be whole battalions of them and I could never notice them."

"Speaking of scouters," Bulma said as if remembering something, "the ones you ordered are finished."

Belmovekk looked relieved.

"Excellent, Bulma. Again I am in your debt."

"You made scouters for him, woman?" Vegeta asked annoyed as he turned around again," Why didn't you tell you could do that. You could have made one for me!"

"You didn't ask for one, you oaf," she said sticking her tongue out again.

"Crazy woman!"

"Kids, please, behave," Belmovekk said, "if this goes any further before you know it there will be either a big fight or the two of you will be necking together!"

"Your mind is totally in the gutter these days, Movekk," Vegeta said looking amazed at his fellow Saiyan.

"Yeah, me kissing him," Bulma huffed, "I'd rather tongue Goku's spirit bomb."

"OK, forget I said anything," Belmovekk said apologetic.

"Pff, I don't need any scouter anyway," Vegeta said haughty, "it makes you far to reliant on them anyway."

"Speak for yourself, my prince, but I have always found them to have their uses. Especially in those energy fields that the Hellmouth emits. It never hurts to have some back up."

"What's this," Bulma asked and knelt down beside the crate Belmovekk had brought to examine it.

"You may find this interesting," Belmovekk said and got up to open the crate. Inside lay what appeared to be a human body.

"Why are you bringing corpses in here, Movekk?" Vegeta asked curious as he examined the body.

"Well, as you can see if you look a little closer, my prince, he is not what he appears to be," Belmovekk said and twisted the bodies head a bit. The other side of the body's face showed metal sticking through damaged skin.

"An android!" gasped Bulma, her mind going into scientist mode, "Where did you get this?"

"Sunnydale, epicenter of weirdness of course," Belmovekk said, then he gestured towards the android, "Everybody, meet Ted."

"Damn toasters showed up early?" Vegeta asked puzzled.

"No, my prince," Belmovekk said shaking his head, "If this is what we have to look forward too we could all go on a holiday. If that guy from the future could not kill this kind of android yet still be powerful enough to kill Freeza he would be seriously needing some industrial strength therapy. Strength wise this guy is pathetic. Even Buffy could kill it."

At the mentioning of her name Vegeta snorted.

"He is strong enough to kill most normal humans though so be careful if you turn him on again," Belmovekk continued, "better put some Saiyan strength manacles on him first. But what I found most interesting was this though."

Belmovekk pressed behind Ted's left ear and a panel on his chest opened. Belmovekk swung the panel open so everybody could see what was inside. On the inside of the panel was a label, two red triangles pointing towards each other with each having the letter R in white in them. Next to the label was the number 3."

"I'll be damned," Bulma gasped wide eyed, "Red Ribbon! Gero's handiwork!"

Suddenly Vegeta looked with keen interest.

"So it _is_ one of his toasters," he said appraisingly, "Interesting!"

"Must be an early model," Bulma said as she started poking the robot, "when Goku fought the Red Ribbons as a kid he encountered one who called himself Android #8. Nice guy too from what Goku told me, he even helped him against the Red Ribbon's. I guess this one has to be Android #3 then."

"He called himself Ted and was most definitely not a nice guy, Bulma," Belmovekk said, "this is a murderer. He marries women and then kills them. He had quite the collection of bodies stashed away. In fact he was hoping to add Buffy's mother to his collection."

"A serial killer robot. How weird," Bulma remarked.

"No more weird then a couple of apocalypse bots, Bulma," Belmovekk said, "every madman has to start small at some point."

"I guess so."

"Bah," Vegeta said as he lost interest, "it would seem this pathetic robot is not worth my attention. Even if he's Gero's handiwork. I'm off to the gym again."

"You go and do that, muscles for brains," Bulma yelled as the Prince of all Saiyans left the room.

"Infuriating asshole," she said after he'd left, "he makes my blood boil at times. I don't understand why my parents like him so much. To them he even acts nice."

"Never say no to a free meal and a free gravity gym, I guess," Belmovekk said smiling.

"That's probably it. Let's hook this baby up in the lab shall we?"

Belmovekk picked up the crate with Ted/#3 and followed Bulma into her lab. On her instructions Belmovekk put Ted/#3 on a table. Bulma gave him some industrial strength restrainers and he put them on the robot securing him tightly.

"So how are you going to examine him, Bulma?" he asked curious

Bulma took a measuring device, held it up in response and then started to scan the robot.

"This guy isn't quite switched off but running in a very low power conservation mode," she said surprised as she read the data.

"What?" Belmovekk said and looked suspiciously at the robot, "you mean all this time I was carrying something that could have attacked me?"

"Nothing that dangerous," Bulma said and put away her device, "he's sustained some critical damage to his power core. Only when he has access to more juice would he become a danger again. My guess is that he uses just enough to keep his memory intact. We could use this. I was thinking of downloading his memory into a computer and then switching him off or removing his power core. That way we can question him without having to worry anything of his body going haywire."

"Smart thinking," the Saiyan said as he relaxed.

"Of course, I'm a genius," Bulma smiled.

"I bow to your superior wisdom, Bulma," Belmovekk said and made a formal bow.

"Why, thank you, Belmovekk. It's nice to receive some recognition."

"Beldin always said it's always a good thing to defer to genius," the Saiyan grinned, "they hit the books and point in the right direction, all I have to do is go forth and fight. Everybody happy."

He left out the part of Beldin's advice that you had to be nice to smart people as they were usually full of themselves and any other approach would usually get them into huff and puff mode.

"You are the most sensible Saiyan I ever met, Belmovekk," Bulma said as she scanned the android some more.

"Wisdom comes with age, Bulma," the Saiyan replied and started to look around in her lab looking at points of interest, "and I do have the advantage of aging very well."

"And you have no idea how jealous that makes me feel," Bulma said as she looked for something on the android's body, "now where is your damn access port!"

"Longevity is overrated," Belmovekk looking at a particular interesting item, "It can be major ubersuck if you outlive all your friends and loved ones."

"Ubersuck?" Bulma said as she gave the Saiyan an amused glance, "Your vocabulary is undergoing some radical changes, Belmovekk."

"It's those damn teenagers, Bulma," the Saiyan sighed, "they take great delight in distorting language. Of course, when they get older they probably forget they were ever young and start to bitch about the youth of today and how they cannot understand a word they are saying. The never ending cycle of life I guess. "

"You don't fool me, Belmovekk," Bulma grinned, "You're loving every minute of it."

Belmovekk just gave a small snort and then changed the subject.

"So, how are you and Yamcha doing these days?"

Bulma rolled her eyes upwards and stopped working for a minute.

"Don't get me started on that loser," she said pointing a screwdriver at Belmovekk, "he comes by from time to time but all we ever seem to do is argue. I don't get men. Why is it that every time you mention the word relationship men act like as if it kryptonite?"

"How should I know?" Belmovekk asked puzzled, "What is kryptonite?"

"It doesn't matter. You are a man right? Aren't you?"

"Last time I checked I was," Belmovekk said, then fumbled his groin, "yes, I still am. But then again my problem with relationships has never been commitment but outliving everybody."

"I guess that does make you rather unique. It still doesn't excuse the rest of menkind," Bulma said pointing her screw driver again before resuming the hunt for Ted's access port.

"I would not dream of letting them escape your wrath, Bulma," the Saiyan grinned in amusement.

"Damn straight!"

"Although I do suspect that you and Yamcha should kiss and make up again soon. Otherwise there might be some major case of locker room smoochies breaking out between you and Vegeta."

"What! Again? Are you crazy? Not in a million years! Whatever makes you think like that?"

"Well, you do bicker and argue like a married couple every time I see the two of you together."

"I argue with Yamcha all the time as well," Bulma said, pointing with her screwdriver again, "and Vegeta is like Kato Kaylin, you never seem to be able to get rid of him."

"Yes, but part of Yamcha does not wish to be in any relationship so that cancels out the smoochie factor. You and Vegeta however are still in the denial phase and the more you deny something the stronger it will get. Just had me a case of a couple getting together after a lot of bickering and bitching for years."

"Honestly, Belmovekk, you are the oddest Saiyan," Bulma said shaking her head in disbelief, "you really do gossip more then a bunch of old women at the hair dresser. You really do hang out to much with those teenagers of yours."

"Well, you know teenagers," Belmovekk shrugged, "enough hormones raging through their bodies. They probably get horny just from seeing linoleum"

"Maybe you should hang out more with Vegeta and Goku and bash each others skull in, like regular Saiyans do? Might even be healthy for you. Ha, I found his access port."

Bulma discovered a part of Ted's skull that could open and had an access port. Belmovekk stopped looking at her lab and examined the new discovery.

"Damn," she said disgusted, "this thing is ancient. I haven't seen these kinds of ports since I played with my dad's old computers when I was little. It will be hard to hook this guy up. They don't make them like that anymore."

"In all fairness, Bulma, but I think they still do not make them like this," Belmovekk said as he poked the android's access port, "This is advanced robotics. Neither my race or Freeza had anything like it. This guy fooled everybody except for my Slayer and then only because she did not like the idea of having a stepfather. I shudder to think how much more advanced the apocalypse robots will be like."

"I'm having nightmares ever since that kid told us about them in the first place," Bulma said shaking her head, "now I surely must have some old converter jacks somewhere that should fit on this guy."

She rummaged in some storage boxes looking for the elusive plug until finally she found it.

"Got it. Damn, this one doesn't fit to my cable either. Now I need another plug to connect this plug."

"Is that a problem?" Belmovekk said leaning net to Ted.

"Nah, just some extra searching," Bulma said as she rummaged some more, "Here! Found it already."

Finally able to hook up Ted to her computer Bulma proceeded to hook him up to her workstation computer and downloaded Ted/Android #3's memories and programs.

"Come on," she said impatiently to her computer when it took too long to her choosing, "hurry up!"

"This computer is not of your own build?" the Saiyan asked curious. Surely Bulma would have something state of the art.

"Nothing wrong with the computer, it's just these damn prehistoric connection which is slowing things down. Come on," she yelled and hit her workbench, "finally, it's finished. Stupid thing! Now let's have a look."

For a few minutes nothing was said as she intently examined the code and assorted files. Getting bored Belmovekk started looking around in her lab again.

"No wonder this guy is psychotic," Bulma said as she looked up after looking through some of the programming, "I don't think he's been switched off or run a diagnostics in 20 years."

"Is that a problem?" Belmovekk asked and pointed to the left side of his face, "My scouter has worked for millennia without problems."

"Your gear is not like Earth gear, Belmovekk, it's build to last," Bulma explained as she looked at the code again, "This guy isn't. He's also way more complicated. More chances for things to have gone wrong. No wonder he actively maintains his memory. I think I'm going to make a back up. Hand me that external hard drive will ya?"

"This one," Belmovekk asked as he grabbed a small box. Bulma nodded in agreement so he gave it to her.

"Why do you need to make a back up?" he asked as he stood next to her looking at the screen.

"You'll see," Bulma replied with a grim smile, "first let me make a back up, then we switch him off."

"Despite your complaining your computer seems to be capable of far greater transferring speeds then is common on this planet, Bulma," Belmovekk said as large amounts of data transferred in no time. Willow's laptop didn't work this fast.

"If you don't have to use prehistoric connections it can go quite fast," Bulma said, "After all, we have access here to many offworld technologies here at Capsule Corp. We've been tinkering with Saiyan tech ever since Goku's brother came to this world years ago. And the stuff we've been getting lately from the Air Force is incredible."

"You father mentioned it," Belmovekk said casually.

"All very hush hush, so mums the word right?" Bulma said, making a closing zipper motion across her mouth.

"I know how to keep secrets, Bulma." the Saiyan said as he examined the old transfer cable and it's supposedly prehistoric connection, "besides, I only talk to people who can also keep them. Although when your father talked about deathgliders I had my suspicions."

"He did?" Bulma groaned then she shook her head in dejection, "Dad is hopeless with secrets! Ah the transfer is finished."

Bulma disconnected the external hard drive. Then she went back to the android's body and looked for an off switch. It was next to the access port."

"Bye bye, she said and switched him off, "that's that. Let's talk to Ted."

Bulma returned to her computer, turned on her speakers and microphone and activated the dormant robot's memories on her computer.

"That won't do, little lady," a pleasant sounding voice said from the PC speakers, then surprise set in as android Ted no longer sensed he had access to any of his senses any more, "little lady? W-w-where am I?"

"You pissed of the wrong girl, you little shit," Belmovekk said sounding a tad too much like Vegeta to Bulma's displeasure.

"Who am I talking to?" Ted asked surprised, "did we meet?"

"I happen to be the bastard that taught that young lady everything she needed to know to kick your sorry ass, toaster," the Saiyan said at the speakers.

"Violence is not nice, mister," Ted's voice said chiding.

"So speaks the Hannibal Lector wannabee robot," the Saiyan snorted, then gripping Bulma's workbench to get closer to the microphone, "do not dare to speak to me about nice, you piece of circuitry. I have seen the bodies of your four ex-wives you kept hidden in your home. You tried to hurt the people I care about. You were lucky that Buffy already kicked your sorry metal ass. I would have vaporized you on the spot."

"Why are you are arguing with a program?" Bulma asked looking in amazement at the Saiyan.

"He fooled us and I do not like being fooled," Belmovekk said looking a tad too angry to Bulma's liking, "especially when this psychotic program tried to hurt my people."

"FYI, I am not a program," Ted's voice objected.

"Do not FYI me, you robot! And I hate to break it to you, buddy," Belmovekk grinned, "but at the moment you only exist inside a computer. We have downloaded you from your body and shut you off. This is all of you that is left."

"No!" Ted wailed in utter despair as he realized what had happened.

"Yes," the Saiyan grinned evilly.

"This can't be happening to me!" Ted wailed.

"Oh yes it can!," the Saiyan said in glee, "The wheel turns, does it not, Teddy?"

"No," Ted sobbed heartbroken.

"This must be the first robot I've met that feels sorry for itself," Bulma said amazed, "Ted, I'd like you to answer some questions."

"Well, you have to excuse me, missy, since I don't know you. And I also don't feel like answering them at the moment."

"Just answer them you hunk o'junk before I start ripping of some limbs of yours," Belmovekk said slamming the table causing a small dent.

"Easy," Bulma said holding her hands up, "that's my workbench, remember?"

"And that would be bad because….?" Ted's voice replied, "As you were so fond of pointing out I only exist in a computer now. My body is for all intents and purposes gone."

"I could run your diagnostic subroutine," Bulma said. Belmovekk raised an eyebrow at that threat. It had Ted totally whipped however.

"No," Ted whimpered, sounding actually scared now, "what do you want to know?"

"Tell us of your origin. Who made you?"

"I don't know much about that," Ted said very cowed, "all I know is that I was dying when 20 years ago I found this advanced robot."

"Who is you," Bulma asked.

"Ted Williams, the original. I am an overlay of his personality."

"As we thought," Belmovekk said, his anger gone, "how and where did you find this robot, Ted?"

"I found him 6 weeks before my body died. His body was most advanced but his programming crude. I had no trouble erasing its primary memory but I couldn't erase the damn diagnostics program. It's hardwired into critical components and reinstalls every time I rebooted. I lacked the skills to remove it. I was however able to overlay myself into the robot's memory and thus survive."

"Why are you so afraid of running the diagnostics program?" Belmovekk asked folding his arms.

Ted didn't answer.

"Don't make her run the diagnostics, Teddy," Belmovekk said, "she will do it! She is far more foul and mean spirited then I am."

Bulma looked funny at that comment but said nothing.

"The diagnostics program once started would erase my overlay as foreign and reinstall the original programming," Ted said defeated.

"No wonder it's so big," Bulma said.

"And you don't know anything about who created this android?" Belmovekk continued.

"All I found was this R-R logo and the number 3," Ted said, "I knew there was a terrorist movement in East Asia that had that logo and used high tech weapons. I guessed they made it. That's all I know."

"Then I guess you are not the one I need to talk to," Belmovekk said and looked at Bulma, "activate the diagnostics program, Bulma."

"NOOOOOOO," Ted wailed.

"Bye bye, Teddy," Belmovekk laughed cruelly as Bulma activated the diagnostics program. Ted's wail was cut short as the program kicked in.

"You act so normal most of the time compared to Goku and Vegeta that it is easy to forget you are a Saiyan as well," Bulma said looking at Belmovekk, "and then you scare me half to death as your true nature emerges. Foul and mean spirited?"

"One can never truly overcome one's nature, Bulma. And I am sorry for calling you that but I had to intimidate Ted. Besides, this bag of bolts hurt my friends and I did not get to hurt it. That entitles me to some poetic vengeance," Belmovekk smiled

"I guess so," Bulma shrugged, "hey, if this Ted overlay was so worried that he'd be erased if he ran the diagnostics no wonder he became so twisted. Every time he got damaged and couldn't really repair himself he became even more malfunctioning."

"An ever increasing downwards trend," Belmovekk nodded as he comprehended what Bulma had said, "It is amazing he lasted this long, Bulma."

"Indeed," the scientist nodded.

"Where am I," a mechanical voice coming from the PC speakers suddenly asked.

"Who are you?" Bulma asked.

"I am Android #3's diagnostic subroutine. Who are you.?"

Before Bulma could answer Belmovekk did.

"Android #3 diagnostic subroutine, I am Sergeant Purple. Red Ribbon identification code 6833-FGH-6Y4. Do you recognize my authority?"

"Identification accepted, Sergeant Purple," the mechanical voice replied, "Android #3 diagnostic subroutine at your disposal."

"You have been gone for a long time, Android #3," Belmovekk said as he leaned on Bulma's workbench again, only this time more relaxed, "with me is a Red Ribbon scientist. Her name is inconsequential. You will however respond to her questions as if they are mine. Go ahead."

Belmovekk made an inviting gesture towards Bulma who gave him an odd look but she played along.

"Android #3, give me your status," Bulma said.

"Primary personality was erased 20 years ago. Severe damage to the memory core was sustained at the time. Records indicate that a foreign personality overlay has since been imposed. That personality has now been erased. I appear to not be in my body at this moment."

"That is correct," nodded Bulma, then she started doing things on her computer while talking, "you currently exist in a computer while we try to repair your body. Could you do a memory dump of your records to this subdirectory that I'm specifying?"

"Affirmative."

"Android #3 diagnostics subroutine," Belmovekk said, "are you a product of Dr. Gero?"

"Affirmative."

"We've lost contact with the doctor. We fear for his existence. Do you happen to know to know the last known location of his laboratory?"

"Affirmative," the subroutine said and provided a location. Belmovekk signaled Bulma to switch off the computer.

"Android #3," she said, "we have to switch off your diagnostics subroutine in order to commence repairs on your body. We will use the data you've provided."

"Affirmative."

Bulma exited the program that allowed the android's consciousness to run on her computer. Then she utterly erased it except for the data it had left behind.

"What was that all about," she asked afterwards and turned towards Belmovekk, "how did you get all that information and codes?"

"I used to be an Infiltrator for the house Vegeta, remember," he answered.

"I know, a spy right."

"You could call it that. Although from what I gather on this world it would be called a mix of being both special forces recon and being a spy. I used to infiltrate worlds we Saiyans had to exterminate, collect intelligence and commit sabotage to crucial defense systems if need be."

"Are you infiltrating us?" she said looking a bit suspicious.

"By the Gods, Bulma, that was ages ago," Belmovekk said shaken, "Today I play for the good guys!"

"I know, silly," she said putting her hand on him, "I'm just messing with you."

"I have been researching these Red Ribbons for a while," Belmovekk continued, "I managed to track down the only other known android created by Gero, the one you mentioned, Android #8. Very nice guy. He could not tell much though. Apparently Dr. Gero did not provide him with much background information. He did know a lot about a certain Red Ribbon sergeant called Purple though that Goku had defeated."

"You are after Gero!" Bulma suddenly said, realizing what Belmovekk was after, "You are going to kill him and stop these androids from coming out. You _did_ listen to me!"

Tears of happiness fell down her cheeks. When the others had rejected her plan to pre-emptively go after Gero she had felt greatly insulted. Finally somebody who understood the danger they were in and to top it all off, he was a Saiyan.

"I for one prefer not to sit around waiting for bad stuff to happen, Bulma," Belmovekk smiled.

"That's what I said," Bulma said excited as she walked around her lab, "finally some common sense instead of all this 'he hasn't done anything bad yet' or this 'I want to take them on myself' crap. Finally a Saiyan who doesn't think with his fists! Are you going to kill him?"

"If I can find him and his creations are as dangerous as we are led to believe I damn will kill his sorry ass, Bulma. I am still not sure if these androids are as dangerous as that future guy said they would be. They may sound bad but at best they appear to be only a local planetary pest. Hardly the stuff of galactic doom. Still, better to kill off the local pests before they get in the way of the real problem. I may need Goku, Vegeta and the others. It just would not do if they had died now, would it?"

"Damn straight," Bulma said still pacing

"Just do not tell Vegeta, Bulma," Belmovekk asked, "He has his heart set on killing those bots. He may interfere. I would rather have it that he has to take comfort in beating Goku to a pulp instead."

"As if Goku would ever let that happen," Bulma snorted.

"Stranger things have happened, Bulma."

"But not that strange, Belmovekk. Goku is not that easily defeated."

Belmovekk thought it over and shrugged. Having got what he wanted he stepped towards the door, then turned around.

"Could you send those scouters you made to my place in Sunnydale, Bulma?"

"Don't you want to take yours," Bulma said surprised, "I have it here somewhere."

She started looking amongst the various stuff in her lab.

"Nah," Belmovekk said shaking his head, "I do not think I need one on this mission. And for all I know it might give me away. A robotic genius may well be alerted by the presence of advanced technology. Could you send a copy of your report to this guy."

Belmovekk gave Bulma a piece of paper with a name and a post box address.

"I know this guy," she said surprised, "we do a lot of work for them."

"I know," the Saiyan smiled.

"What have you gotten yourself involved with, Belmovekk, "Bulma said looking at Belmovekk, "these are people in very high places. They get us the, uh, forbidden technologies we talked about? You could get us all in a lot of trouble."

"Kami recommended them to me," Belmovekk smiled, "besides, multiple angles of attack, Bulma, multiple angles of attack. The bigger the net, the bigger the chance somebody finds Gero. Just because Goku and Vegeta like to do frontal assaults without back up plans does not mean I have to."

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AN 2017: _This chapter was a major milestone in my writing. When I first posted it on Spacebattles I was told it was sometimes hard to follow who said what and that it had talking head syndrome. People just talking to each other and not doing anything. I was told to let them do stuff while they were talking. This was one piece of advice I picked up and I've been giving that piece of advice of others who make the same mistake ever since._


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

 **'the Mongolian incident'**

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AN 2017: _In hindsight I would have merged this with the previous chapter as its basically an extension. At the time I wasn't really into long chapters as I got in later years._

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Belmovekk had calculated his entry into East Asia to coincide after it had gotten dark. He figured it was best not to attract too much attention so it was best to avoid using ostentatious chi flames. It meant going at a slower pace but also less use of chi. Which both suited him fine and was in line with his infiltrator training of old. After all, old habits die hard.

He crossed the Chinese coast north of Shanghai, a massive metropolis burning so much light he could have gone Super Saiyan over it and still not be noticed by its inhabitants. He then flew North West for several hours towards the Gobi desert over the vast densely populated Chinese plains. After that condensed mass of human multitude crossing the Gobi was very uneventful and it wasn't long until he crossed into Mongolia.

By the time he got over the Mongolian steppes daylight had already come. He had been making good progress when suddenly something rattled him. Somebody was following him.

He could feel it at the edge of his senses. He slowed to a halt and looked around. Damn, now he wished he had taken his scouter along. He had been training himself in using his senses lately and with Gero being some sort of a technological wizard he had deemed it too dangerous to bring his scouter along. But it just was nowhere near as efficient to look for chi as with a scouter. It also didn't help that most of his training took place near the Hellmouth and have that place's mystical energies wreak havoc with his senses.

For now however whoever was trailing him had disappeared. Damn, he shouldn't have halted like a rookie. Then again, only a few people on this planet could have followed him and by now he knew them all. Which narrowed down the list considerably. It could mean trouble though if they found out where he was going. Maybe it was time to confuse his pursuer and shape shift into an animal. As a sorcerer he had been taught how to do this. He just didn't like doing it. Not only did it feel wrong to travel that way when you had proper chi flight, he also didn't like the way changing into an animal changed the way he could think.

Still, when dealing with an unknown pursuer personal feelings took a backseater to necessity. An eagle would do nicely. Let them follow that!

Belmovekk formed the image of an eagle in his head and then leaped into the air to change into one. To his joy the transformation was flawless, he still could do it, after all these centuries, and with powerful strokes of his wings he continued on to his destination. It would be considerably slower though then using chi flight. But speed sometimes had to take a backseater to stealth. In the end it was all about the mission, not personal enjoyment.

After several hours of bird flight he got hungry in the afternoon and decided to get something to eat. He had been traveling now for a quite a while so he was due some food. He spotted a marmot and dropped down and killed it. He then proceeded to devour the choice part of the animals. Normally it would have revolted him to eat flesh raw but being in an animal state made it look and taste quite tasty. This was one of the reasons why he hated shape shifting into an animal. What was tasty now probably would feel a lot less so later on.

He changed back into his normal form to get some bearings on his pursuer. It was hard to use chi sense in animal form. As he changed back he immediately had to fight to keep his meal down. After managing to do just that he tried to extend his senses. He could still sense something was off but he was unable to pinpoint it. Damn, Vegeta was right. He did rely on that scouter way too much. He definitely had to do more training in using once sense's in the future. Preferably away from that damned Hellmouth. Which kinda saddened him cause it meant even more away time from Buffy and the other Scoobies. Strange how a group of people can feel like family so quickly.

Suddenly his senses went off like an alarm bell. Whoever was trailing him had decided to make his move. Its chi had gone up like a rocket and he was now coming in rapidly. And from far closer then he'd expected. He also recognized the chi.

"What do you want, Vegeta," he yelled as the Saiyan landed in front of him. They stared each other down for a while. Then Vegeta folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm tired of trailing you, Movekk," the Saiyan prince said casually.

"You always lacked patience, my prince," Belmovekk replied. If Vegeta wanted to be frank and casual, he could get it. Tons of it!

"Its one of your many failings according to your father," Belmovekk smiled. If it annoyed Vegeta, he hid it well.

"Well, he ain't here, Movekk!" he said dismissively, "Now I'm in charge."

"In charge of what, my prince?" Belmovekk said, continuing his mindgame, "one Saiyan commoner who has gone native, his halfbreed son and me?"

"I don't care, Movekk," Vegeta shrugged, "I'm your prince and therefore your superior."

Vegeta started looking around, looking slightly annoyed.

"And I should care because...?" Belmovekk snorted, "the Saiyan nation is gone, Vegeta. Any rights and entitlements it bestowed upon you have gone with it. All courtesy of your former employer, Freeza"

"Shut up, Movekk," Vegeta bit back, "Freeza has also gone."

"He worried about you, you know," Belmovekk smiled.

"Who did?" Vegeta asked.

"Why, your father of course. While you only cared about being the strongest he knew you were just no kingship material. We had many talks about it, my prince."

If you could physically measure contempt it would have the meter going off the scale. Like explode from it. Naturally it didn't fail to solicit the expected reaction.

"Stop talking about it!" Vegeta yelled angry, "My father is dead long ago. It is of no matter to me!"

"Precisely," Belmovekk continued smirking, "your father worried about the survival of our race and Freeza's possible treachery and all you did was dream about becoming a Super Saiyan."

"If I had become Super Saiyan I could have stopped Freeza," Vegeta said holding up a fist, "It should have been me who became Super Saiyan. Not that third class clown, Kakarot!"

"Yet he did and you did not. While you became Freeza's buttmonkey it was Goku who finished Freeza's reign of terror. Because he cared and you did not. Ever wondered that maybe that was the reason he went super and you did not? In the end that is all you ever do, my prince, finish last."

Vegeta was getting agitated. If he were a cartoon he'd probably have steam coming from his ears. Instead his chi flame came to life.

"Silence!" he yelled as he made the earth tremor, "I order you to be quiet!"

Silence was furthest from Belmovekk, as he assumed a casual pose, examining his nails.

"I only answer to your father who was a true king. We Saiyans may have been bastards and your father had many failings, but at least he was a bastard who cared for his people. You merely discarded Nappa as if he was nothing to you, the man who had been assigned to you from your birth, the fourth survivor of our race. Just because he was no longer of any use to you. This is exactly why your father kept you out of politics and sent me instead to make for alliances. To save our people. A job usually undertaken by the royal heir."

"Shut up!"

"Shut it your self, Vegeta. Even now you are standing in the way of that which needs to be done. Again God's gift to the bell curve. I know why you are here. You were listening to my conversation with Bulma."

"I will not allow you harm Gero until those androids emerge," Vegeta said, finally getting a grip on his anger.

"Again dreaming those dreams of glory, Vegeta?" Belmovekk said as he buffed his nails on his shirt, "You truly are the prince of all idiots. Heir to the throne of the kingdom of idiots."

"Why you….," Vegeta snarled and attacked Belmovekk with a punch that sent him flying into the ground.

"Now listen, you piece of know it all shit," Vegeta yelled pointing at Belmovekk, "I've had it with your amateur psychology and self righteousness. It's bad enough that Kakarot is full of it, I don't need you breathing down my neck as well. At least Kakarot understands a Saiyans need to test himself in battle. You've lived too long and grown too soft. And to think I once thirsted after life eternal!"

"Goku is an idiot who like you only thinks of battle, Vegeta," Belmovekk replied as he wiped some blood from his mouth, "but at least he understands the concept that a battle by itself is meaningless, it has to mean something. He would fight those androids not for self glory but to protect others. You however have also forgotten something. We Saiyans never let a thirst for a good fight get in the way of the job to be done. Whether it is cleansing a planet of lifeforms or defending one from hostile attack. Never loose sight of the mission over the pleasure of a fight. The mission is stopping those androids, Vegeta, not having fun with them!"

"Fuck you and fuck the pod you landed here with," Vegeta said, "you will not stand in the way of my destiny."

And with that Vegeta powered up to his max, making the earth shake.

"So that is how it is going to be it, my prince?" Belmovekk asked as he got up on his feet.

"I told everybody that I would kill anyone who would try to stop Gero, Movekk," Vegeta said balling his fists, "I have to keep my word or it has no value whatsoever. Now desist or be destroyed."

"It does not have to be this way, my prince," Belmovekk said shaking his head, "You have grown stronger but not enough."

Belmovekk started to power up himself. He didn't want to fight this close to Gero's lab but Vegeta would leave him no choice. Best to get it over quickly. So he rapidly powered up to Super Saiyan. Vegeta growled as he saw the form that still eluded him.

"Last chance, my prince," Belmovekk said glowing with power, "you know you cannot hope to beat me."

"You wouldn't dare," Vegeta huffed, "I'm the Prince of all Saiyans!"

He really believes it, Belmovekk couldn't help but think.

"Right now you are going to be the dead prince of all Saiyans if you keep interfering with my mission, Vegeta," he finally said, "I _will_ finish my mission!"

Belmovekk assumed a fighting stance as if to add credence to his words.

"You're bluffing, Movekk!," Vegeta said, still not believing his fellow Saiyan would dare to lift a finger against him, "you're Royal Household! You would never turn against your ruling house!"

Belmovekk's answer came in the form of a familiar gesture followed by a familiar word.

"KA!"

"What," Vegeta said surprised. Belmovekk however continued.

"ME!"

"You're stealing Kakarot's move?"

"I'm still working on my own, my prince," Belmovekk said, "Luckily Goku was gracious enough to show me his, HA!"

"You'd have one if you didn't waste your time on those strays!" Vegeta huffed.

"ME!"

By now Belmovekk was channeling some serious power into his attack and Vegeta was starting to get nervous. Surely Belmovekk wouldn't really go through with it?"

"HA," Belmovekk yelled and sent the attack towards Vegeta who braced himself. He really did it, Vegeta thought, I'm done for. It greatly increased his respect for Belmovekk. No dishonor in dying like this.

DOOM!

The explosion was deafening. Death however didn't come to claim Vegeta. To his surprise he found himself still alive.

I'm still alive, he must have hesitated at the last moment, he thought.

As he opened his eyes however he saw Kakarot standing between him and Movekk, that blasted third class clown having gone Super Saiyan himself to absorb the blast. Something snapped inside Vegeta.

"Damn you Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled angrily, "How dare you interfere in this! This was between me and Movekk!"

"Geez, Vegeta," Goku replied looking over his shoulder, "I just tried to save your life."

"I don't need saving, dimwit! Especially by your worthless third class clown hands!"

"I told you we shouldn't have interfered," Piccolo said, who had also appeared on the scene.

Great. That third class oaf had brought Piccolo along as well. Now soon everybody would know of his humiliation. Vegeta looked around to see if Kakarot's brat was also along but he seemed to be absent. Praise the universe for small favors!

"But he would have killed Vegeta?" Goku said looking at Piccolo.

"And that would be bad because...?" Piccolo countered.

"Damn it!" Belmovekk yelled angrily, running over with frustration, "I have had it up to here with you people! One is so arrogant there is no room for a brain in his head, the other has no brain to speak of. Go form a comedy act or something. How you guys ever did defeat Freeza is beyond me! Does not anyone understand what is in those mountains?"

Belmovekk pointed to the Changai mountains lying to the northwest.

"Gero's lab is over there you fools!"

"You've found Gero's lab?" Piccolo said surprised.

"I did! And that idiot over there was actually trying to stop me from blowing it sky high!"

"Why would you want to blow up Gero's laboratory?" Goku said surprised.

"Because of those androids he's building?" Piccolo said looking flabbergasted at Goku, "Why else?"

"But why? He hasn't done anything wrong yet," Goku replied in earnest.

Belmovekk facepalmed his forehead in a gesture of despair.

"Why did I have to be sent to this ass pimple end of the universe only to meet the two most dumbest and dimwitted survivors of my race?" he sighed while looking up to the heavens, "Why could I not meet an Elite strike team. A Royal Household assault regiment? Or at the very least another infiltrator? Was that too much to ask? I would settle for a colony of Nameks like this guy. At least he seems to understand it. You guys have way too much fun at my expense."

"Who is he talking to?" Goku asked dropping out of Super Saiyan.

"Fate I guess," Piccolo answered. He understood the Saiyan's feelings quite well at times. The Saiyan sorcerer grabbed his hair as if he wanted to pull it out. Then he let go.

"OK, playtime is over," Belmovekk said angrily, his Super Saiyan aura flaring up again, "I like you guys a lot, but no more mister nice Saiyan! I am going to Gero's laboratory and I am going to nuke it. Anyone who gets in my way gets also nuked."

"But he hasn't….." Goku tried to object.

"No more 'he has not done anything yet', especially from you," Belmovekk yelled as he pointed at Goku, "preparing a crime is just as reprehensible as the actual crime. And no more 'I wanna fight them to test myself' from you either, Vegeta. This is not about you guys having a nice spar but about saving this planet and the damn universe."

"But...," Vegeta tried to say.

"Not a word, Vegeta," Belmovekk hissed, giving the Saiyan his ultimate stare of doom.

Vegeta didn't dare say anything anymore. Piccolo was having the time of his life, hardly able to control his laughter he put his hand before his mouth.

"And you," Belmovekk said to Piccolo, "are you going to be a problem?"

"Me? Be my guest," he said and pointed to the mountains, "I'm just along for the ride as an observer. Don't let me stop you. I'll just tag along as observer guy.

"Right," Belmovekk said and blasted off towards the mountains. Piccolo took off at with him, as fast as he could, leaving Vegeta and Goku to fend for themselves.

"He is crazy as fuck, Kakarot," Vegeta said at his fellow Saiyan, "We can't let him get away with it? Are you just going to let him do it?"

"I don't know, Vegeta," Goku replied looking sullen at the ground, "maybe he's right after all."

"Have you totally gone of your rocker, Kakarot?" Vegeta exploded, "Fighting those androids is part of our birthright as Saiyans. It's what we live and breathe for! We deserve a chance to test ourselves in battle."

"At the expense of losing the Earth?" Goku replied looking at Vegeta, then he looked at the mountains, "maybe he is right. It's not about our fun, it's about doing what's right for this world."

"Bah, you disappoint me, Kakarot," Vegeta snorted incredulously, "You truly have gone soft."

"Caring for the greater good is not going soft, Vegeta," Goku replied.

Naturally Vegeta disagreed and a small row ensued until a blinding light, greater then a thousand suns, suddenly shone. Both Vegeta and Goku had to avert their heads in order to protect their eyes.

"Damn it, Kakarot," Vegeta hissed angrily, "he really did it.! While we wasted away time he did it!"

"That was one big attack," Goku said impressed.

"Quit admiring his power and technique you fool, the blast wave is coming. Brace yourself!

BOOM!

A strong blast wave followed an immensely loud bang and it nearly knocked the two Saiyans over. After the blast wave came smaller ones but they rapidly diminished in power. The two Saiyans unbraced themselves. Strong winds were still around them but that didn't phase them.

"Let's go," Goku said and took off. Vegeta launched himself after his arch rival. Both set course towards the epicenter of the blast.

It didn't take them long to find the epicenter. A large mushroom cloud was rapidly starting to rise over the Changai mountains with the effect of blast damage everywhere around them.

"Shit," Vegeta said looking around him, "he wasn't kidding when he said he would nuke the place. We're lucky he didn't blow up the planet with it!"

"But where are they?" Goku said looking around as well. The two of them looked around to see if they could find Belmovekk and Piccolo.

"There!" Goku said and pointed to two dots floating at the edge of the dust cloud.

The two Saiyans headed towards the two dots who rapidly became Piccolo and Belmovekk. The Saiyan had detransformed and looked kind of spend. The fight had definitely gone out of him.

"Is it done?" Goku asked.

"No," Piccolo replied sadly, "we found the laboratory all right but it was deserted years ago. Possibly even decades ago. And don't you say a fucking word, Vegeta!"

"What?" the Saiyan Prince protested innocently. He could hardly contain his glee that he would get his big fight after all, "I didn't say anything.

"If the laboratory was deserted, then why the fireworks?" Goku asked still looking around.

"Belmovekk was very, shall we say, pissed off?" Piccolo answered.

"What?! First he calls us irresponsible then he blows up a mountain for nothing?" Goku said and pointed to the crater, "I know they call me stupid but even I know people are going to notice this!"

Vegeta however understood. He was glad the androids lived to fight another day but he could understand that the other Saiyan needed to blow of some steam. After all, not being able to finish the mission goes down just as bad with Saiyans as not getting a fight they have been spoiling for.

"Movekk had his reasons," Vegeta said in a sympathetic voice, "now let us leave this Godforsaken place. I have training to do."

Vegeta's chi flame erupted around him and he sped off, back towards Capsule Corp.

"The Vegetable truly is the most obsessive person I've come to know," Piccolo. remarked as he looked at the disappearing Saiyan, "he is right though, this truly is a Godforsaken place. It was a perfect hideout for a secret laboratory."

"How long do you think it was abandoned?" Goku asked.

"Probably around the time you destroyed the Red Ribbons," Piccolo again replied. All that time the other Saiyan hadn't said a word. The Belmovekk floated to the ground and sat on a rock, his head buried in his hands.

"How did you find this place, Belmovekk?" Goku asked as he also touched down, followed by Piccolo.

Utterly defeated Belmovekk looked up at Goku.

"I came across a robot disguised as a human," he said, "Who turned out to be Android #3. He provided me with the information."

"Android #3? He must be quite old then," Goku said taken aback, "I encountered a #8 at the time. Nice guy, didn't want to fight."

Remembering Android #8 Goku couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"I have met him," Belmovekk continued., "but he could not give me the information regarding Gero's hidden lab. #3 however had this subroutine that I could trick into telling me the whereabouts."

"Quite clever," Piccolo said.

"What's a subroutine?" Goku asked.

Piccolo facepalmed his forehead in frustration. Belmovekk was too dejected to care.

"And now?" Piccolo asked after a while.

"Now we start all over again," Belmovekk said, "I will find that bastard eventually."

"He will probably be alerted now that you've blown up his old hideout," Piccolo said, "while your frustration was understandable, it was most definitely stupid."

"I know, Piccolo," Belmovekk nodded, "Curse my Saiyan temper! But I will find him. The gloves are off. You would not believe how many people I have already put on the case. I will just put some more people on it."

"How did you manage to find Android #3," Goku asked.

"That is a long story, Goku. The short version is that he just came by and managed to piss off the wrong person."

"You?"

"No, one determined young lady called Buffy Summers," Belmovekk smiled proudly.

"Great, her again," Piccolo snorted rolling his eyes and turned around, "he never visits without dropping her name at least ten times every time."

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AN 2017: _Contrast this with Whose Line is it? and there is no almost conflict between the use of present and past tense. It would appear that when I wrote an original story I naturally went for past tense, when I adopt a transcript written in present tense however I tended to opt for present tense instead._


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

 **'He's back….'**

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AN: _Angel turning to Angelus was a big problem for me. How to fit in Angelus and his killing madness into a place where thanks to the edict he would be ratted out ASAP as soon as he laid a finger onto somebody. Especially that Gypsy elder. After lots of rewriting I had most of the chapter done when Belmo twisted my arm again and took the story into a unexpected direction. Honest! I did not plan for this! This was real 'Ahum, writer, can I have a word with you?'. I swear! Cut me own throat special pinky swear!_

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Feeling still somewhat dejected over his debacle in Mongolia Belmovekk flew back at a leisurely pace towards California. Goku had invited him afterwards for dinner and to spend a few days at the Son residence and he had accepted it. The food was nice, he had some spars with Goku and Gohan but it didn't really ease his sense of failure. At least the late night chats with Piccolo were helpful. Goku may be the heart of his group of fighters, Piccolo was clearly the brains behind them. And then there were the phone calls.

Having a multi megaton explosion going off didn't go unnoticed in this world so he had to do some explaining. From what he gathered the news media had been told by their governments that a meteor had impacted in the Mongolian mountains. So far they seemed to believe it. Not that Belmovekk really cared what people believed. He was more relieved that nobody had been killed in his little temper tantrum. That had been a very, very stupid thing to do.

As he approached California he could sense Vegeta's chi to the North East. It was greatly dampened by his gravity gym but it was there. Slowly but steadily increasing as the months crept by. From Sunnydale, his destination, it was harder to sense the chi of his friends. That abominable Hellmouth was not only masking it., but they themselves still had a long way to go before they would even be noticed by the others. Ah well, that was never the goal anyway.

Belmovekk passed the coastline south of San Francisco and went south. As he did he couldn't help but think it might be a good idea to go on another field trip. They had so enjoyed the last one. Everybody could use a morale boost. Might be a good excuse to invite Kendra as well. The girl was so diligent in her exercises, She deserved a break as well.

He landed on the roof of his building, Little Vegetasei as Xander had dubbed it. He opened the roof door and went down to his apartment. First something to drink then out again for a quick snack. No sooner had he gotten himself a gallon of milk from his refrigerator when the cell phone rang. Accursed things, he seldom took it along, but they had their uses sometimes. Besides, only a very select few had his number. So he answered.

"Yes?"

 _"T-t-thank goodness, y-you're back,"_ Giles' voice said, and he sounded both very worried and very much relieved.

"Well, good morning to you too, Master Giles," he replied before taking a half liter swig from the milk jug, "What troubles you that you are calling me at this hour?"

 _"I-i-it's Buffy,"_ the librarian said in a tone that caused Belmovekk to put down the milk jug.

"Is she OK?" he replied worried.

 _"S-s-something happened with Angel! He has lost his soul and r-reverted back to being Angelus, an incredibly dangerous master vampire. We may all be in da…., hello?"_

Belmovekk had already left. Within 10 seconds he touched down outside 1630 Revello Drive and knocked on the door.

"Young lady, are you in there?" he called anxiously. Someone opened the door, it was Joyce, Buffy's mother. For a moment she gave him an odd look, like she didn't recognize him, then it dawned upon her.

"Oh, hello, it's you," she said, "mister..., Belmovekk, wasn't it? Weren't you Buffy's martial arts instructor? We once met at school, remember?"

"Good day, Misses Summers," Belmovekk said, straightening his back, no need to unnecessarily worry her mother, "yes, we did once met. I was a good acquaintance of Master Giles and he referred your daughter to me. I have been away for a while and just heard a disturbing message that something was wrong with your daughter. Could I see her please?"

"Belmovekk, thank God, you're back!"

It was Willow running down the stairs and although she kept up a front not to worry Buffy's mother a trained eye could see she was terribly worried.

"Mister Belmovekk," Joyce Summers said and pointed to Willow, "this is Willow Rosenberg, Buffy's friend from school."

"I am well acquainted with dear Willow, Misses Summers," Belmovekk smiled.

"Willow is staying over, apparently Buffy is heartbroken over her boyfriend," Buffy's mother said.

"Could I please talk with Willow in private, Misses Summers?" Belmovekk said and put his hand on Willow's shoulder to guide her outside on the porch.

"Of course. If you need me I'm in the kitchen."

"Willow, what happened?" Belmovekk asked after Joyce Summers had retreated into her kitchen, "I had just returned when Giles called me and said something was wrong, something with Angel."

"Something terrible, Belmovekk," Willow said, "Angel has somehow lost his soul."

Belmovekk leaned against a wall and used one hand to massage his forehead to mull things over.

"Lost his soul?" he said flabbergasted, "How could this happen? How can anyone lose a soul?"

"It was the curse," Willow said as she sat down on the couch like swing, "the one that gave him his soul back. It turns out that if he ever experiences a moment of perfect happiness he would lose it again."

Belmovekk gave her an odd look

"What kind of stupid curse is that?" Belmovekk said bewildered, "Surely if you restore somebody's soul you make it permanent?"

"I know, but it happened," Willow said, "From what I gather he and Buffy, umm, they, umm, well you know, they spend some 'time together' and then he lost his soul. He's Angelus now, pure evil. He came by the school and when we found out he was Angelus he tried to take me. Luckily Xander scared him off. Now he's leaving Buffy these."

Willow gave Belmovekk a letter. It was Angel's handwriting but the message was nothing like he had come to expect from the vampire. It was utterly obscene, vile, derogatory, inflammatory and insulting. There was also a charcoal drawing of Buffy while sleeping that somehow looked way more creepy then Ted's basement of Horror. Having read the letter and seen the drawing Belmovekk crushed them and burned them away with his chi.

"What a sick twisted bastard," the Saiyan said and sat down next to Willow.

"He can enter our houses," Willow said forlorn, "we invited him in. Giles is already looking for a spell that would undo the invitation."

"He is welcome to come to my place," the Saiyan snorted indignant, "I will be happy to send the bastard straight into Hell. Me and the King of Hell go a long way back. I am sure he can find something nice for that accursed vampire. By the Gods, this is bad, Willow, he has been trained. If he teaches others what he knows our enemies will get stronger. I could still eat them for breakfast but they could start to hurt you guys again. Has he hurt anybody since becoming Angelus?"

"After Xander scared him off he's kept a low profile," Willow said, "He's sick and twisty and evilly alright, but he's not stupid."

"Hmm," Belmovekk said thinking aloud, "he seems to have remembered the edict. Our own damn edict has come back to bite us in the ass. As long as he does not plot against, hurts or kills human we do not get to hurt him. Taking you could even be argued as self defense. I knew there would be a price to pay, I did not expect this though. I guess it cannot be helped. How is she?"

"Completely heartbroken," Willow said looking down, "she blames herself. She's in no condition to do anything, Belmo."

"Of course. It is in her character," Belmovekk said staring ahead blankly, "But how could she have known? I only learned it just from you."

"Miss Calender knew," Willow replied, causing Belmovekk to look at her oddly.

"What!?"

"It turns out she's a Gypsy and she was sent here to keep an eye on Angel," Willow explained.

The Saiyan mulled it over as he again stared ahead blankly.

"This keeps getting better and better, Willow," he finally said shaking his head in disbelief, "could she not have told this to us? It is not as if the two of them getting together was something coming out of nowhere. To be frank I am surprised they did not bed each other earlier."

"Me too, Willow said, then looked at the Saiyan, "Giles has broken off their relationship and stuff."

"Not that it will make things right or better," Belmovekk said still shaking his head, "will she see me, Willow?"

"Buffy has been depressed now for days, Belmovekk. She won't speak to anybody but me and her mother. Cause Giles was dating Miss Calender and Xander…, well, you know how he thought of Angel. And we couldn't get to you either."

Belmovekk got up and turned to Willow.

"You go up there and tell her I will be coming up and that the hounds of Hell itself will not stop me."

Willow nodded and went upstairs. Belmovekk went over past events in his mind to see if a clue had presented itself in the past, one that he may have missed. He couldn't find any. Which made it even worse, for he hated accidents. Damn this was bad news. He shouldn't have gone of his rocker in Mongolia and he shouldn't have delayed for as long as he did staying with the Sons.

"Is she going to be alright?" Joyce asked breaking his train of though and emerging on the porch.

"Her grief is strong, Misses Summers," the Saiyan replied giving Buffy's mother a smile, "she loved him dearly. It is all or nothing with your daughter."

"Tell me about it. That's what has me so worried sometimes. And now this."

For a minute both didn't say anything.

"Can I offer you something?" Joyce suddenly asked, "some tea or something?"

"Some tea would be fine, Misses Summers," the Saiyan sighed, "I could use something right now."

Belmovekk followed Joyce Summers as she gestured him to follow her into the kitchen.

"You know, you must be one of the few people in this town who seems to care about my daughter. Even if you aren't from a school. Beside the school librarian, most of her teachers seem to be, indifferent at best, but mostly negative. Especially the school principal."

"With all due respect, misses Summers, they are not worth the air they breath," Belmovekk said derogatory, "Especially that principal! In the time that I have gotten to know your daughter I found her to be nothing but admirable. A bit flighty at times and very headstrong. But also zesty and full of life. Most teachers cannot handle that. And when you are no model student they are quick to label you a trouble maker. I had quite a reputation for that myself when I was her age. I have to admit I have grown quite fond of her these past months. She has been a very good student and a joy to teach. I never had any children but I can imagine I would be very blessed indeed if mine turned out as well as your daughter."

"Was that by choice or could you never find the right woman?" Joyce asked while looking for the tea.

"I was married once but we were not able to have any children," Belmovekk replied, leaning in the kitchen door opening, "I cannot conceive any and it ended breaking up her heart. And then she died."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Joyce said sympathetically, "You know, she always speaks highly of you, mister Belmovekk. When her father stopped seeing her it hit her hard. She always was a daddy's girl. I think she's transferred some of that father figure role to you and that nice librarian."

"I must confess myself, Misses Summers, that I sort of see her as family myself. She reminds me of my late sister. A kindred spirit," Belmovekk said, smiling a bit at the memory, "and I will so go find and kick that stupid boy's ass myself."

"No need to be so formal, you may call me Joyce," Joyce smiled as she poured water in a kettle, "Be sure to hurt him a bit extra for me."

"I will, Joyce, I will," Belmovekk smiled.

"Good!" Joyce said as she put the kettle on the stove, "I'm curious, mister Belmovekk, do you have a first name?"

"I only have one name, Belmovekk, son of Rabar," the Saiyan shrugged, "Where I am from we do not use last names."

"Then…, how do you tell each other apart?" Joyce asked puzzled.

"We do not," the Saiyan just shrugged as it was the most common thing in the world.

"Interesting," Joyce replied, not knowing what to say.

"Your daughter calls me Belmo though," the Saiyan chuckled, "sometimes Willow also does. I let them get away with. Xander knows better and just calls me the B-man. Since he calls Master Giles the G-man I also let him get away with it. One should never discourage signs of genuine affect…."

Before he could continue or Joyce could respond Willow entered the kitchen.

"She will see you now," she said.

"Please keep the tea hot, Joyce," Belmovekk said as he turned around, "and better set an extra cup cause I am going to bring your daughter back to land of the living again."

Belmovekk went upstairs to Buffy's room and gave a slight knock on her door and went in. Buffy sat on her bed, holding a stuffed animal, a tear still on her cheek. Her face looked a mess, she clearly had been crying a lot.

"Hey, young lady," he said and sat on her bed holding out his arms to embrace her. She laid her head onto his lap and started to cry. He just gently caressed her hair.

"It's my fault," she cried, "it's all my fault!"

"It is alright, young lady, it's alright. I should have been there for you," the Saiyan said, still caressing her hair, "I should have been here."

They sat like that for what seemed like ages, she quietly sobbing, he just quietly holding her and inwardly cursing whatever fate saw it fit that it had to be teenage girls who had to be these Slayers. While Saiyans may send their children into space to die if they were too weak, they wouldn't dream of letting them fight..., well, maybe it was best not go there looking for anything of superior moral comparison. Saiyans could be terribly despicable too.

"Just go ahead," Buffy said after a while.

"Go ahead with what, young lady?" he replied gently.

"Saying I told you so," she said sullen.

"Why would I want to say anything like that?" he asked surprised.

"You never liked Angel, neither did Xander and Giles. They don't say it but I can see the I told you so in their eyes."

It caused a new outpouring of grief and Belmovekk waited until it became less again.

"We did not know this would happen, young lady," he said, just staring ahead of him, still holding her, "my dislike for Angel was based on what he was. He never felt right because he is a vampire. But I never doubted his love for you. Never doubt it either. And I could understand his need for redemption. I have been down that road myself. And I also know I make Angelus look like an amateur in the evil department. You have been inside my mind. You have seen some of the things I did. And you could not know this would happen. So do not blame yourself. Blame the curse. Blame your luck. Blame me if you have to."

"I don't think I could ever blame you," she said looking up to him.

"It heartens me to hear that, young lady," he smiled back at her.

"You must all think I'm a freak," she said as she looked away

"Why?"

"For falling in love with a vampire. Me, a vampire Slayer loving a vampire."

"I am pretty sure it has happened before," Belmovekk said with the most serious face, "opposites tend to attract. That which you fight becomes fascinating after a while."

"Giles said according to previous watcher records no Slayer has ever loved a vampire."

"His records are obviously wrong," Belmovekk shrugged.

"Giles' records? Wrong?" Buffy said giving him an odd look, "Now that's hard to believe."

The Saiyan stopped caressing her hair.

"What do you want me to say, young lady," he said bluntly, "That you were silly? You were silly. There! Are you happy now?"

"I…..," Buffy wanted to say, for once without a snappy retort.

"Of course you are silly," Belmovekk continued and resumed stroking her hair, "you are a sweet 17 year old girl, young lady. My sister was silly at 17. I think she never stopped being silly. All 17 year olds are silly. It said so in the rulebook. You are entitled to be silly. Angel of course, he should have known better. He has been around for centuries, at least something resembling wisdom should have trickled down. But I can understand even that. Sometimes the heart wins over reason. Even I made such mistakes."

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked. The Saiyan looked away, then he sighed and looked at her again.

"I once also fell in love with a girl when I should have known better, young lady," Belmovekk said gravely, "She was the daughter of an Algar chieftain. You must understand, I live in this beautiful vale to the south of their lands and from time to time some of the Algar herdsmen and their cattle pass through. So one day her tribe passed by and I, trying to be a good neighbor, visited their camp. And there I met her. She was beautiful, so beautiful. Not like you of course, but then again, you are not really my type. She was different."

He stopped talking for a moment, the memories now coming back.

"How beautiful?" Buffy finally asked, wiping of her tears and turning herself around so she could look up at Belmovekk. Belmovekk held up his left hand and an hologram like image appeared.

"Meet Inari, young lady," he said wistfully as he looked at Inari's image and felt it all come back again.

Inari was a raven haired young girl, with facial features not present anywhere in this world. She had the most beautiful smile but there was a strong hint of sadness as well.

"She is beautiful," Buffy said.

"Yeah, I thought so too," Belmovekk sighed, "I was still relatively young, still into my first millennium. Belgarath and Beldin of course tried to talk me out of it without success. Her father was not happy about it either but he loved his daughter deeply and could not refuse her anything. So he consented in our marriage. And for a while we were so happy."

It now pained the Saiyan to talk about it, a tear running across his cheek. For a while he didn't say anything.

"What happened?" Buffy asked eventually.

"The problem with sorcerers, young lady, is that they do not age as well as other people," Belmovekk said looking down, "In fact they age too well. Which sounds all nice in theory but not if your wife ages normally and the woman you love grows old, frail and sick."

The image of Inari turned from young and beautiful to old and grey. And then it disappeared. Another tear ran down Belmovekk's cheek.

"Like that Highlander movie," she said. Belmovekk turned away and put his hand on his face to wipe away his tears and get himself together. How odd, he had come to comfort her and now he ended up in tears himself. When he had composed himself again he continued.

"I never minded it that much, you know. In any relationship passionate love inevitably evaporates and if you are lucky all that remains is intense friendship. I had no complaints. By the time she entered middle age I had come to terms with that I was going to outlive her and I accepted that I should be thankful for the time we would be given together. But I could see that it hurt her, even though she never showed it nor talked about it. I may have accepted that I would outlive her, as if time had never touched me, she had more of a difficulty with it. My biggest regret however is that I could never give her any children. She so loved to have a big family. If only she had been blessed with children she might have accepted her fate. Instead all she got was me, Belgarath, Beldin and the Twins. And a lot of cats of course. They were our only children. Their offspring still live in my home to this very day. Of all the sorcerers the only one to ever have had any children was Belgarath and probably only because his wife was one also. Although I think fate had a hand in that as well. Fate can be a funny business, especially if you work for it."

"So do you regret it then?" Buffy asked.

"Yes and no," Belmovekk said after some thinking, "I terribly regret not having given her a chance to find another man that could have given her the family she wanted. When I met her on that day I should have walked away and never looked back. But I also would not have missed her for all the money in the universe. Even if it only was for the briefest moment in my long life. Be glad for what you had, young lady, even if it was only for a short time."

"Thank you for sharing this with me," she said and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"You are welcome, young lady," he smiled, "and to think I was supposed to comfort you? Hey would you believe it? I missed your birthday?"

"Yeah," she said accusingly, "where were you by the way?"

Belmovekk held up his hand and a newspaper appeared. Buffy took it and saw it was an old one, several days old. But she remembered the headline.

METEOR STRIKES WESTERN MONGOLIA. IMPACT ESTIMATED AT 40 MEGATON.

"That was you?" she said, "Oh boy, when you make an impact, you _do_ make an impact. Got what you were after?"

The Saiyan shook no.

"I thought I had a good lead," he sighed somewhat dejected, "but it seems that even in death Ted was misleading."

"Ted?" Buffy snorted, "Didn't I kill his sorry robotic ass?"

"You damaged his body beyond repair, young lady," the Saiyan said, then he pointed to the side of his head, "But his memory was still in there."

"Yikes," Buffy shuddered, "he gave me the creeps."

"I know, which is why I took extra pleasure in telling him I was going to control alt delete him. I do not think he was very happy when I did it," he grinned at the memory, "he sounded so distressed as we pulled the plug on him."

"You can be very cruel at times, Belmo," Buffy said, almost smiling.

"Only to those who hurt my loved ones, young lady." Belmovekk said, then he turned his head towards her, "Would you like to go to a rock concert?"

"A rock concert?" Buffy said surprised as she got up and faced the Saiyan, "You?"

"What's so funny about that, young lady?" Belmovekk asked, not getting what was so strange.

"You're 4000 years old," Buffy countered, "I just don't picture you at a rock concert. Correction, I do picture you at a rock concert. You've got more tats then Ozzy Osbourne. And you can do that cool punk hair thing. But you are 4000 years old. Shouldn't you be into stuff like classical music, the Bay City Rollers or, heaven forbid, John Tesh?"

"Hey, you try living on a world where for 4000 years all you occasionally hear is folk music," Belmovekk said defensively, "to me everything I hear is all new and exciting."

"What kind of concert did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking about Ozzfest," Belmovekk said as he opened the newspaper to a particular page to show an add, "They're in the area next week."

"Ozzfest? I'd never pick you as the heavy metal type," Buffy sniggered, "OK, again, you've got the hair and the tats for it."

"Why are you so ageist, young lady?" Belmovekk asked, "I happen to like lots of music from this planet. And this heavy metal just happens to be great whilst doing exercises."

"Pragmatic as always," she smiled.

"Plus I admit I would like to experience things like stagediving and something called the mosh pit," Belmovekk said, "It is said that only the truly fearless dare enter. So you wanna go?"

"I can't wait to see you mosh it up," Buffy smiled.

"Good, see it as a belated birthday present, young lady," the Saiyan smiled, "Now lets go downstairs and have some tea. Your mother has made a fresh pot."

"Do we have to?" she pouted, "we were getting along so great here."

Belmovekk gave a disapproving look. It was the tried and tested Saiyan look of doom vs. the patented Slayer pout of beg. In the end it was the Slayer pout that came out victorious.

"OK, I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay five more minutes," the Saiyan said in defeat.

"Thanks, Belmo," she said and nestled herself in his lap again.

"How the mighty Saiyans have fallen," Belmovekk said in mock despair, "curse you, young lady, for reminding me so much of my sister! And if you ever tell anybody what I told you in confidence I will kick your ass."

"You? Puhlease," snorted Buffy, "but have no worry, your dirty secrets are safe with me."

"I hope your mother has some leftovers in the fridge," Belmovekk sighed, "I am starving. What? Do not give me that look, young lady! You try flying all night on an empty stomach!"

x

* * *

x

It took Belmovekk more then five minutes to bring Buffy downstairs but eventually he did. After tea and some leftover pizza Belmovekk and Willow said their goodbyes and left 1630 Revello Drive

"And now?" Willow asked once they were outside.

"Now we go see Miss Calendar and get some answers," Belmovekk answered and took Willow in his arms, "hold on!"

And with that Belmovekk jumped into the air and flew towards Sunnydale high. Within a minute he touched down at the back entrance.

"You know, I always wanted to be swept of my feet by a strong handsome man," Willow said, seemingly glad to be on terra firma, "but I don't think this is what I had in mind."

"It is faster this way, young lady," Belmovekk said as he put her down, "let us go find Miss Calendar."

Willow nodded and followed Belmovekk as he went inside. Belmovekk was royally pissed and didn't care much about anything. The corridors of Sunnydale High were packed with students but they parted like waves of the Red Sea before Belmovekk. Willow could see that most didn't step aside willingly but something invisible, probably his chi, was pushing them aside. Determined Belmovekk pressed on until he reached the computer science classroom and slammed open the door, almost shattering the glass.

"Out!" he said to the students who were in the room. A few got the hint and grabbed their things. Most were completely surprised.

"OUT!" he now yelled. This time everybody got the message and in no time the classroom was deserted except for Willow, Belmovekk and Jenny Calendar.

"Talk," was all Belmovekk said as he sat down on her desk.

"I'm sorry," Jenny Calendar said apologetic, "I wanted to tell you guys but I was ordered not to."

"Talk is cheap, Miss Calendar," Belmovekk said unimpressed, "a young girl I care about is in grief and a terrible evil has been unleashed on this world because you withheld critical need to know information from us."

"I didn't know," Jenny pleaded desperately in her defense, "you must belief me. I was only told this could happen a few days ago."

"Then what were you told until recently?" Belmovekk asked as he eyed her sternly.

"That Angelus, the vampire who had wronged my people by killing one of our most beloved, was living here on the Hellmouth and needed to be watched," she said.

Belmovekk mulled it over.

"Why would you and your people need to watch Angel?" he asked curious, "From what I gathered he was cursed more then a century ago. Surely your people have exacted your pound of flesh by now?"

"My people take revenge very, very serious, Saiyan," Jenny said looking all business, "we've been keeping our eye on Angel for a long time to see to it that he suffered and continued to suffer. The curse wasn't meant for him to become a good guy again, it was mean for him to suffer for what he did. To suffer eternally and feel the pain of his victims, unless he had a moment of true happiness."

"I see now why," Belmovekk replied accusingly, "you guys did a piss poor job ensouling him though. What kind of stupid curse gives him such a cop out clause?"

"It was the best we could do at the time," she replied throwing her hands in the air, "and if he had continued to suffer none of this would have."

Before Belmovekk could say anything else the classroom door opened and Principal Snyder walked in.

"What is the meaning of this?" he said aggravated, then he noticed Belmovekk, "I demand to know why the students are out in the hall? Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Belmovekk got up and gave the principal his worst deathglare and pointed his right hand at the principal who suddenly felt as if an iron fist had gabbed his throat.

"You poor wretched excuse of a human being! Stay out of this, you pedantic troll," Belmovekk yelled angrily. Gripping the principal with his will he opened a closet by pointing his left hand at it, then sending Principal Snyder flying head first inside and then closing the closet door behind him. The impact knocked the wind out of the little shit and made him unconscious.

"Good riddance to trash," the Saiyan snorted.

"You are so my hero now," Willow said totally awed. If only Xander could have seen this as well.

"So you were sent here to spy on Angel," Belmovekk continued as he walked to the window as if nothing had happened, "Also on us? Is that why you hooked up with Master Giles?"

"I only spied on you because the Slayer was involved with Angelus. I'm sure you could understand that," Jenny said anxiously, "having seen first hand what the Saiyan could do she didn't want to provoke him, "and before you ask, no I didn't tell them about you. Even though I should have. Because of what you have taught him it will make him so much more dangerous now though."

"A danger that could have been avoided if we had know about it, Miss Calendar," Belmovekk said coldly as he stared out of the window.

"As for Rupert, no, I didn't hook up with him to get near the Slayer," Jenny said looking down, "I did it because I really like him. He makes me laugh. You have to believe me on this, I've been wanting to tell you guys for a long while now. But I just couldn't seem to find the right moment."

"Sometimes there never seems to be a right moment," Belmovekk said, still not looking at her, but understanding that particular little sentiment all too well, "and all you can do is hope for the best. This betrayal cuts deep Miss Calendar."

"I know," Jenny said and cast her eyes downward again, "can you guys find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"I have just spend most of my morning trying to uplift the wreckage of a young little girl, Miss Calendar," Belmovekk said as he turned around and looked at her, "I did not have a personal relationship with you. I am not the one you should be asking for forgiveness. They say to forgive is divine on this world and I am most definitely not divine. They also say a man, or woman is defined by his or her actions. How you will conduct yourself these coming weeks will redefine you in my eyes. I do not care if your clan learns about me. I can take care of myself. But if they ever hurt my friends I will not be forgiving and they shall know the wrath of Saiyans. We also take vengeance very serious. Only we do not curse people, Miss Calendar, we exterminate them. Down to the last child."

Jenny Calendar said nothing so Belmovekk turned around and left, followed by Willow. Belmovekk walked outside and then sat down on a bench to think things over. Willow sat down beside him

"What are we going to do?" she said after 10 minutes of silence.

"I have no idea, young lady," Belmovekk said shaking his head, "I have no idea. To be frank I have not felt this low in centuries."

As to illustrate his point the Saiyan hunched forwards and buried his head in his hands.

"Not you too?!" Willow said shaken, "I-i-it can't be! You… you're like are our general. Our commander in chief! Our secret weapon! Our doomsday device! It's bad enough that Buffy is all heartbroken and Giles doesn't know what to do. But not you too?"

Belmovekk gave her a sideway glance.

"I do not know, young lady," he said forlorn, "I am at an end for now. I have been at an end for quite some time now. For once I could use some good news. Or hear something funny."

"Uh, well, Xander can eat a gummiworm through his nose," Willow tried.

"That is not funny, young lady," Belmovekk said weirded out, "that is just gross."

"It always makes me laugh," Willow said defensively. Belmovekk didn't reply.

"So, I guess it's not your kind of humor," Willow said, "Well, what do you do for fun when you're like down, Belmo? I mean back home, not here."

"I do not know," Belmovekk replied sullen, "go out and kill some Grolim priests mostly. Never a shortage of them usually. Except for here."

Willow gave him a horrified look.

"Uw, and you call Xander's gummiworm gross."

"Whatever," the Saiyan replied flatly.

"How about using those Dragonballs that restored Goku's friends," Willow said suddenly, "could they restore Angel's soul?"

"That is brilliant, young lady," Belmovekk exclaimed coming out of his funk, only to immediately become serious again, "although I am not sure in this case if they would work."

"Couldn't you like ask somebody?" Willow suggested, "one of Goku's friends?"

"We could ask God," the Saiyan said. Which caused Willow to erupt in babble.

"God? As in the biblical God, with the ten plagues of Egypt? That would be cool. Or God as in some chaos God or demon God? Cause that would be bad, right? Wouldn't it?"

"None of the sort, sweet girl," Belmovekk said and gave her a playful rub on her head, "let us go and meet him shall we?"

x

* * *

x

That evening the Scoobies were sitting in a secluded booth of an ice cream parlor Belmovekk had discovered. He'd brought Buffy and the others along to treat them to a chocolate sundae, and of course bought a few more for himself.

"God is green?" Xander asked surprised, then shook his head, "just when you thought you'd heard everything!"

"Well, um, technically, um he's not so much the God of the Bible or any other holy book," Giles said, "Kami as we know him is more like the divine guardian of this planet. It's, uh, rather fascinating really. According to an obscure Asian text the Council once unearthed he actually ascended to that position after the previous one died."

"Firstly G-man, you do read everything," Xander interrupted, "Secondly, he can die?"

"He's not immortal, Xander, but he is divine," Giles said in full scholarly mode, "probably the closest we humans have to an actual God that actively looks out for us."

"Again, note to self: religion, freaky," Buffy said without much enthusiasm.

"That's not quite, um, fair, Buffy," Giles replied, "Kami has no desire to be worshiped. He just tries to look out for this world. From his great look out in the sky, the text said."

"Well, it's true," Willow said with a big grin, "It's really big and high up in the sky and you can see the whole world from up there even though technically that is not possible as the Earth is round so technically you shouldn't be able to see most of it but it is and he has this djinn as a servant who waters the trees although its strange that threes would grow so high up or that I could have even breathed up there for that matter."

"And notice how she can say all that without breathing," Xander said smiling. He had always liked Willowbabble.

"I'm babbling again aren't I?" Willow asked looking around nervously.

"That's OK, Buffy said and out her hand on her friend, "you are allowed to after seeing such a place. Why begs the question, why don't I get to go, Belmo?"

"Who cares about a green God?" Xander said and pointed at the Saiyan, "I'm still pissed off that he manhandled Snyder without me being there to see it.!"

"He did what?" Buffy said looking at the Saiyan surprised. Belmovekk just shrugged and continued eating one of his sundaes.

"He told Principal Snyder to shut up and threw him in a closet," Willow smiled, "I'm told he was still in there for half an hour. Nobody could open the door until his chi had dissipated"

"Oh man, why do I always miss the good parts," Xander sighed in mock despair, "can you do that again, B-man? I pay you real money, not that pixiegold of yours."

"I will give you a call the next time that Troll sticks his nose where it does not belong. I can show you though," the Saiyan said, and held up his left hand to create a small holographic representation of the scene in question, which Xander and Buffy watched intently.

"Dude, that so fuckin' rocks," Xander said afterwards, tears of joy on his face, "on behave of every student in Sunnydale High, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Belmovekk just shrugged and assaulted his next sundae. It was gone in seconds.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Buffy asked, "All that icecream in your stomach?"

"No, not really," Belmovekk replied.

"When I was that Saiyan I ate every tub of ice cream in your mother's fridge," Xander said reminiscing, "it only really hurt afterwards, when my stomach was no longer Saiyan."

"Which reminds me to still send you a bill," Buffy replied, "Hagen-Daasz aint cheap you know."

"But it sure was damn tasty though," Xander smiled at the memory.

"Anyway, it's a shame we can't use the Dragonballs to restore Angel's soul," Giles sighed, "it would have solved so many problems."

"The power of the dragon is limited by the power of the Earth's divine guardian," Belmovekk explained, "it can revive those who were killed unnaturally within the time span of a year provided their bodies are still intact."

"Which would be a real drag if one were to be resurrected without one," Xander quipped.

"The dragon however can revive people only once," the Saiyan continued, glancing at Xander for the interruption, "you die again, it becomes permanent. Unless one uses those souped up Namekian's Dragonballs. But they are gone. The dragon can also only alter a person if they wish it, never against their will. So you can wish for immortality, as some have tried, but never for immortality for others against their wishes. Since Angelus does not want his soul back the dragon is powerless to do so."

"But what if we restore Angel's soul first using the original curse, and then wish for it to be permanent," Buffy asked hopeful.

"It cannot be done, young lady," Belmovekk said, "I thought of that and Kami explained it to us. It has everything to do with the nature of vampires. They are demons inhabiting a dead human body. One could use the Dragonballs to restore the soul within a year of their turning but not after that. Then the demon holds claim to that body. What the Gypsy's did was restore Angel's soul as an overlay on the demon. It did not destroy Angelus, Angelus was sort of possessed by Angel. And like any possession the original host is swept under the carpet as its were. Forced to endure as the possessor takes over. Which is probably what the Gypsy's had in mind. But since Angel only possesses that body, he does not legally own it as it were. Angelus does. And Angelus does not want his soul back. So the dragon cannot permanently fix it."

"Stupid rule," Buffy snorted as she slumped back in her chair.

"Such rules exist for a very good reason, young lady," Belmovekk countered, "What if you were possessed by an evil spirit and it wished for a permanent fix?"

"Or due process if you were put on trial innocently," Giles quickly added.

"Well I guess that closes one chapter," Willow said looking at Buffy, "we did try, Buffy!"

"I guess," Buffy said a bit depressed again. For a while nobody said anything.

"So, what are we going to do, people, now that re-souling is out?" the Saiyan asked.

"Let me be the one who said, lets dust him, before he does something to one of us, or all of us," Xander said looking around the table, "There, I said it."

"You never liked Angel," Buffy countered vehemently. Xander winced at that accusation but kept a straight face as he continued. It was to be expected.

"I'm sorry Buff, but this is not about whether or not I disliked Angel, or saying I told you so. We've read the books, we heard the stories, Angel may have been a fluffy bunny who loved you but Angelus is Hitler personified in a master vampire package. He's smart, cruel, sadistic and knows everything about us. And because we trained him he's even more dangerous then he used to be."

"And you must be gloating right now that you are right," Buffy shot back venomously.

"Please, people," Giles said trying to keep the peace, "recriminations won't get us anywhere."

"No, because it was your girlfriend who neglected to tell us the fine print about Angel's curse," Buffy said angrily at her watcher. Everybody started shouting at each other until Belmovekk slammed the table, nearly breaking it.

"Young lady, please," Belmovekk said sternly, "these are your friends. They stood by you in the past, they will stand by you know. While I applaud you venting some of your anger instead of sulking, they deserve better. Mistakes were made by everybody, better that we learn from them then tear each other apart. What is, is."

Belmovekk stared at her and this time she was without her great pout. So the Saiyan emerged victorious and Buffy caved in.

"You're right. I'm sorry Giles. Sorry Xander."

"OK, now let us evaluate our options," the Saiyan continued, "I hate to say this, young lady, but our smartest option would be to kill Angelus."

"Finally somebody who agrees with me," Xander said.

"Not now, young man," Belmovekk said knowing fully well the right course of action coming from the wrong person would fall on infertile grounds.

"No," Buffy said desperately.

"I know you hurt inside, young lady," the Saiyan continued, taking her hands, "and we are asking a lot of you but please think rational about it. Like Xander said, he is dangerous, sadistic and has been taught elementary chi moves. I have no doubt he will spread this knowledge amongst the other demons making them more dangerous to us. They would then start to break the edict, making this town dangerous again."

"But Angel…." Buffy tried to plead.

"Angel is gone, young lady," the Saiyan said, "For all intents and purposes Angel has died. A demon has taken his place wearing his face, taunting you with things he used to say to you. If you would like I will do this for you so you would never need to know."

Belmovekk tried to comfort her with what he hoped was his most honest face. Buffy however said nothing but she seemed ready to burst into tears again. Willow put her arms around her and for a while nobody said anything.

"Please, Belmo, don't do it," Buffy implored one last time. She looked at the Saiyan with those great sad eyes and the Saiyan felt it hard to keep up his resolve.

"We can't just kill him," she said desperately, "Not when there's still a chance we may restore the curse."

Xander looked as if he was going to say something but at the last moment decided not to. Belmovekk could see in his eyes what he was thinking but didn't dare to say it to spare his dear friend's feelings. That while restoring the curse meant Buffy would get her lover back, but the risk would always remain of them having that special moment together and him going Angelus on them all over again.

"Young lady, I like nothing more then a happy ending," Belmovekk said still holding her hands, squeezing them gently, "but I have to be blunt. How many people must die before you allow me to do what needs to be done?"

"But he hasn't broken the edict yet," Buffy said weakly.

"It's true," Willow said, "It binds the demons but it also binds us. As long as the demons abide we promised not to kill them. Angel hasn't hurt anybody so far, so we can't touch him."

"He hurt Buffy, Will," Xander said, "doesn't that count?"

"Harsh language wasn't included on the edict, Xander," Willow said back.

"What is this edict everybody is talking about?" Oz asked, who so far had kept quiet.

"A while back we issued an edict to the vampires and the demons," Giles explained, "they harm a human, we harm a lot of them. They kill a human, we kill a lot of them. They plot against us, we kill a lot of them in reprisal. If they abide by the rules we don't kill them. For months now it's been holding."

"No wonder this place feels safer these days," the young guitarist said as he finally understood.

"He will slip up though," Belmovekk said, "the truly bad guys always do. A vampire who is that evil will not be able to resist creating some major mischief."

Buffy whimpered again whereupon Willow put her arms around her again. Belmovekk groaned internally. He just couldn't bear to see her like that. So with great regret he sighed.

"Fine, for now he lives," he said to everyone's surprise, "but if we catch him with his teeth in somebody's neck he dies. Horribly! If we catch him scheming he dies. No ifs and buts then, young lady."

Buffy looked like a ten ton weight had been lifted of her shoulders. For now a glimmer of hope remained and she clung to it with all of her might.

"So we're going to do nothing for now?" Xander said hardly believing what he was hearing, "We're going to sit back waiting for the prince of Broodness to make a move?"

"The edict..," Giles tried to say.

"Damn the edict, Giles!" Xander yelled, "This is self preservation. We made those rules, we enforce them, we can break them if we have too. If anything a little random violence on our side makes the locals fear us even more. It's madness to sit back and wait for him to hurt one of us."

"It is madness," the Saiyan agreed, "but for now our options are limited. I do not like having limited options. I am going to think things over for a while to see if we have other paths to take."

"But..," Xander tried to say.

"I see your logic, young man, and it is sound," Belmovekk said acknowledging Xander's concerns and fears, "It may be our only option. But a good commander tries to keep his options open for as long as possible to take advantage of whatever opportunity may come his way. For all we know this is something that is fated to be."

"God, here come destiny riding on fate again," Xander groaned beating his head on the table, "Fine! Let's do nothing. Let's all sit back and pretend everything's peachy. But when the dying starts I'm not even going to revel in the 'I told you so's' because it might be me that has done the dying already!"

"Isn't that a bit, um, overdramatic?" Giles said a bit shaken back.

"You won't think its overdramatic when Angelus puts his teeth in your neck, Giles," Xander countered, "trust me, you'll scream bloody murder too!"

"We are not going to do the dying because we are going to be training our ass off," Belmovekk said, "I will increase your and the young ladies training regime. Angel may have been taught chi fighting, he lacks one advantage we now have."

"Which is," Giles asked.

"Why, my new gravity gym of course, Master Giles!" Belmovekk said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "He can train all that he wants, without a gravity gym he will never go as fast as we will."

"Can't he make a gravity gym of his own?" Willow asked, causing Belmovekk to frown.

"Young lady, the only people capable of building one are at Capsule Corp. Even if they wanted to build one for him Vegeta would kill Angelus on the spot if he ever came near there. The prince may be an asshole, his dislike for vampires at least is healthy."

"Something we should learn from," Xander agreed wholeheartedly.

"Now excuse me, boys and girls, I am going home," Belmovekk said and got up, "I have not slept since the day before yesterday."

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After a tiring day Belmovekk returned home. Finally a chance to get some shut eye. He didn't bother taking off his clothes and just headed straight on his bed, not even bothering to pull the blanket over him. No sooner had he done that or his cell phone rang again. Cursing something in his native Saiyan tongue he got up and picked up the damn thing.

"Yes?"

" _Mr. Belmovekk, it's Jenny, please don't hang up!"_ Jenny's voice said nervously.

"If you give me a good reason not to," he replied much surprised. Of all the people to call he didn't expect her. And as much as he blamed the woman for lying, she was not the cause of their current problems.

" _It concerns Angel._ she said, _"I think you should meet someone. He may be able to help."_

For a while Belmovekk didn't respond.

 _Hello? Are you still there?"_

"I am still listening," Belmovekk said, closing his eyes briefly as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

" _If you'd like I can come by and pick you with my car and take you to him,"_ Jenny's voice said.

"Be there in five," Belmovekk said and hang up. This damn day felt like it was never going to end.

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In a hotel room a Gypsy elder of the Kalderash clan sat smoking a pipe when the door opened behind him

"I knew she would bring you," he said without looking, "I suppose you want answers."

"Not really," an unexpected voice said.

Elder Enyos of the Kalderash clan eyes got suddenly wide as saucers. He jumped up and faced his worst nightmare, Angelus the master vampire, standing there in the door opening.

"But thanks for the offer," Angelus grinned as he walked into the room, causing the Gypsy elder to swallow as he felt fear take hold on him.

WHAM!

Suddenly the glass window of the hotel room shattered, raining glass shards and wood splinters inside the room, coating both Enyos, Gypsy elder, and Angelus in debris. Angelus managed to escape the brunt of the shower by virtue of his quick reflexes but Enyos suffers multiple cuts from glass and wood splinters and got thrown onto the ground

"What the ..," Angelus muttered as he tried to make sense of the devastation. Then he saw what had happened.

"Shit!" he said both in annoyance and fearfull.

Outside, where the window had been, hell, where most of the wall had been, now shone the bright light of a floating Super Saiyan smirking at him.

"You!" Angelus hissed.

"It cant be," Enyos stuttered in shock, "the Golden One!"

"Somebody has been a bad boy," Belmovekk singsonged and floated slowly into the room, the waves of chi from his chi flame blowing dust and small debris across the floor.

"Guess what?" the Saiyan said smirking triumphantly, "I just got this phone call from Miss Calendar saying that somebody wanted to meet me. So I am all ready to go when out of habit I put on my old scouter and loo and behold, I notice my favorite vampire on the prowl. Ready to break the edict. Just when I had promised to only kill him when he was going to do something naughty. It must be my lucky night. Prepare to die, Angelus!"

Belmovekk rushed Angelus grabbing him by the neck and pressing him against the wall, a ball of chi forming in the other. Angelus growled in utter frustration. That damn scouter!

"Look, you damned space ape, I didn't do nothing!" Angelus said as he clawed at the fingers holding him, "I didn't break your precious edict! I wasn't even going to harm him. Just ruffle his feathers a bit to scare him out of town."

"And why would you want to do that?" Belmovekk spat out, his green blue eyes peering intently into those of Angelus.

"Because that bastard could re-curse me" Angelus said and nodded towards Enyos, "turn me into that pathetic loser again!"

Belmovekk looked at Enyos.

"Are you the man Miss Calendar said wanted to meet me?" he asked.

The Romany clan elder finally shook of his stupor and dropped on one knee in deference to Belmovekk.

"Yes, Golden One," Enyos said, "although I didn't know your true nature. She just told me you were the man behind the Slayer and her Watcher."

"He is Romany," Angel hissed, still clawing in vain at Belmovekk's fingers, "his kind were the ones that cursed me. I couldn't let that happen again."

"Could you curse him again?" the Super Saiyan asked.

"I'm not sure, Golden One," Enyos said, "much of our magicks were lost in the death camps of the accursed Nazi's. It might be done. But it would take a great effort. We would have to re-discover much of our lost magicks again."

"I'd rather die then be that loser gain," Angelus hissed. Suddenly the Super Saiyan let Angelus go and walked away, to stand in front of the shattered window, thinking.

"Do you wish it, Golden One? For you we would do it," Enyos said reverently.

"How and why was Angelus cursed?" Belmovekk asked, turning his head at the elder, "the specifics please!"

"He destroyed the most beloved daughter of our tribe, Golden One," Enyos spoke, feeling the old hatred flare again as he told the old story, "He not only killed her, but also killed any man or woman that had touched her life. Our pain was great and eternal. Vengeance demanded that his pain would also be eternal. For his demon to suffer through the return of his soul."

"And what a hoot that has been," Angel muttered as he dusted glass and wood splinters from his clothes, "ah damn, I liked this jacket!"

"Angelus would have continued to suffer if it hadn't been for this girl," the Gypsy continued, only to be cut off by the Super Saiyan.

"Mark your words, Gypsy!" Belmovekk said menacing, "Do not speak ill of her. For she could not have known what you failed to tell us in the first place!"

"Forgive me, Golden One," Enyos bowed his head in remorse.

"Why would you build in this stupid escape clause into his curse?" the Super Saiyan asked, his chi flame dying down but not his transformation, "Why not curse him eternally with a soul?"

"Because that takes serious mojo, space ape" Angel said, regaining some of his bravery again, "they couldn't hack it. Without that they had to build in an escape clause. That's the rules of lesser magic for you, pathetic losers!"

"Silence, you miserable piece of shit," Belmovekk hissed, his chi aura flaring again for a short moment, "it's only because of her that that I even countenance your sorry excuse of an existence. She still dreams of you becoming 'normal' again!"

"Well, count me out," Angelus snorted in disgust, "you can have her."

Then he smiled evilly.

"This is your lucky night, space ape. A being so obsessed with her, surely you must have dreamed of nailing her yourself? From what I remember it was quite enjoyable."

"Won't you ever shut up," Belmovekk said angrily, chi flame flaring up violently as he rushed the vampire to knock him against the wall, causing cracks to appear in it. Even though he had the living snot kicked out of him Angelus never ceased to grin as he had managed to push Belmovekk's button. To his chagrin Belmovekk noticed this as well and backed off.

"The vampire is right though, Golden One" Enyos said, "only the strongest mages and witches can bend magic to their will completely. Most magic practitioners have to build in an escape clause. Such is the nature of magic. That is part why we kept guard on Angelus. To see to it that he would never experience a moment of true happiness. Unfortunately Janna failed in her duties."

"Did she know about the specifics?" the Super Saiyan asked, his chi flame dying down again.

"No."

"Then the failure is yours, elder," Belmovekk said, "Do not be so quick to assign blame to others when you should look for it in yourself."

"It is as you say, Golden One," Enyos replied deferently.

"Uh, can I go now?" Angel asked as he clutched his chest, "Since you two seem to be getting along so well."

"NO!" Belmovekk yelled.

"Fine, I'll wait here," Angelus muttered, still holding his chest where he had been hurt, probably cracked some ribs as well, "I thought that since I was going to be re-souled again I might just as well get something to eat first. Wouldn't do good if you killed Buffy's pet vampire just before he gets his soul back."

"I'm not even sure if I want you to be re-souled," Belmovekk said as he gave the vampire a weary look.

"WHAT?!"

Both Angelus and Enyos looked surprised.

"But…., Golden One..," Enyos tried to say before being cut short.

"Let me see if I got this right," Belmovekk said and started to pace, "same curse, same conditions, right?"

"That is correct, Golden One," the Gypsy elder responded, not certain where Belmovekk was going.

"Re-soul Angelus and we get Angel back," the Saiyan continued, "Buffy would be happy but since she still loves him we run the risk of it all happening all over again. We are talking teenagers here, right?"

"I'm not sure where you are you going but they do tend to be be raging bags of hormones," Angelus agreed.

"And Angel loves her madly and deeply, right?"

"It just sickening how much," the vampire snorted in disgust.

"Then what do we gain by it?" Belmovekk continued, "Everybody would constantly be on the lookout for the two of them to start locking lips again. He might do the decent thing and bugger off to brood somewhere else for another century but I do not trust Buffy enough to respect that and not go after him."

"That could be a problem," Angelus grinned, suddenly getting where the Saiyan was going, "you want her to be heartbroken. To have her go cold turkey. Be weaned of my sickening other half."

The Saiyan nodded in agreement.

"As long as she still loves him, Angel is a liability," Belmovekk said, "Something I, we, even she, cannot afford."

"Solution seems simple then," Angel said, "I'll just mosey right out of this shit hole of a town and from then on its out of sight, out of mind. Problem solved, everybody happy. Well, maybe not everybody, but some sacrifices have to be made."

"And unleash an utter sick fuck into this world? No thanks, vampire," the Super Saiyan retorted, "far better to kill your sorry excuse of an unlife right now. Same result, less danger to the world."

"But the girl would not take kindly to that now, would she?" Angelus grinned.

"She does not necessarily need to know about it though," the Super Saiyan said, "I could always make up a story. So do not get any funny ideas, vampire."

"Are you going to let Angelus live, Golden One?" Enyos said incredulously, having heard the conversation to his growing unease, "he is Angelus, he must suffer for what he did to my people."

"Oh, he will, Elder," Belmovekk smirked, "I am going to make him my personal buttmonkey. From now on, vampire, you only exist to be my eyes and ears to Sunnydale's underworld. You will jump through whatever hoop of the week I deem it worthy for you to jump. You will continue to give Buffy the hard shoulder until she finally sees that Angel is gone forever and moves on. Be as creative as you like, but try to refrain from some of the more nasty sides of your character. I want her weaned off of Angel, not in pieces.

"But that is all part of the fun," Angelus objected. What looked promising was now taking a turn for the worst.

"I am not interested in your fun, vampire," Belmovekk said coldly, "my only concern is for the girl. Should you happen to transgress these rules and whatever rules I set on you besides the Edict of course I will see to it that the Gypsy's do recurse your sorry carcass. So Dead Boy can take over your body again while you suffer inside."

"All right, all right," Angel said, holding up his hands in surrender, "I'll be your damn lap dog. Are you happy? Can I go now?"

"I'll see you once a week, Angelus," Belmovekk smirked, "don't forget, the edict applies now even more for you. You see a human getting killed, hurt against their will, you help out. You do not tell me of any plots being connived that you know off or try to double cross me and I will come looking for you. I can see into your mind if need be. The edict also applies globally for you, not just Sunnydale. You will not teach anything Buffy and I taught you about chi fighting to anyone else. In my absence you report to Giles, discretely of course. As far as the others are concerned you are still the enemy. Got it?"

With every point he made Belmovekk thumped the vampire on his sore chest.

"Sure, be nice, don't bite, spy for you, be a nice demon," Angel said chagrined, "can I go now?"

Belmovekk nodded and Angelus left.

"Does that satisfy you, Elder," Belmovekk asked Enyos.

"It is certainly..., creative, Golden One. The idea that Angelus has to live out his days as your lowly servant certainly appeals to me. But why not kill him now and let the girl come to terms with that?"

"She needs time, Elder," Belmovekk sighed and looked out of the window, "she is stubborn. Intellectually she knows Angel is gone, but her heart has not. The hope that somebody may one day find a way to undo what happened is all that sustains her. She is not to blame, she is still a child. Her friend and the watcher love her dearly but are too blinded by love to see her faults. Only the boy knows and sees. Yet even he loves her to much to do what is needed. Although it will come back to haunt me it falls to me to do what is best for her. Until his soul can be fixed permanently Angelus stays while I have some control over him. Besides, I need better eyes and ears in the underworld. Willy the snitch is just too unreliable. If I do not periodically gut some of his customers in front of him he tends to forget who he should really fear."

"It is as you say, Golden One," Enyos bowed.

The Saiyan looked over his shoulder at Enyos

"No one must know of what happened here, Gypsy."

"Fear not, Golden One," Enyos said respectfully, "the clans of Romany will never speak of this to anyone. We have kept many secrets as well as we have practiced our vendetta's."

"And what is with this Golden One business?" Belmovekk asked curious, "You act as if I am some sort of God?"

Being constantly called Golden One had started to irk Belmovekk. But he didn't want to question Enyos about it in front of Angelus.

"I know, Golden One. It's a mark of respect, not worship," Enyos said and sat down in the chair, "long have the Romany suffered at the hands of fate. Persecuted by everybody, slaughtered like pigs at the hands of the Czarist Cossacks and the Nazi's without anyone lifting a finger to help us. The fates have long been against us. It is prophesized however that one day the Golden Ones would come. We know of the Slayers, they who slay the evil ones. But the Golden Ones would come and one day slay fate itself. On behalf of my people, I, Enyos of clan Kalderash, offer the services of the clans of Romany to you."

Belmovekk was taken aback by that and dropped out of Super Saiyan.

"You humble me, Elder," he said, avoiding the Gypsy's gaze, "I do not know what to say. I.., I am unworthy. I have killed many, too many in my past to be called a savior by anyone."

"You misinterpret me, Golden One," Enyos quickly explained himself, "You are not meant to be the savior of the Romany. We take care of our own. Just that you we're meant to end the cruel turns of fate."

Belmovekk mulled these strange revelations over.

"I have much too over think, Elder. I would like to study your prophecies."

"I will have Janna give them to you, Golden One," Enyos said smiling.

Belmovekk nodded and jumped out of the gaping whole that had been the window. Enyos stared into the night until he could no longer see the Saiyan as he flew away.

"Uncle, uncle, I could not find …, what happened here?"

It was Jenny Calendar who had arrived. Greatly shaken she looked at the damaged hotel room.

"Great things Janna, great things," Enyos said happy, "Angelus came here. Then the Golden One came and stopped him."

"Golden One?" Jenny said surprised, then it dawned upon her, "You mean…., Belmovekk? And Angelus, is Angelus dead?"

"Angelus lives, Janna, but he is no longer of concern," Enyos said looking for his pipe, then holding it up triumphantly when he found it.

"But how?" she asked bewildered, "Can he be re-souled?"

"It is of no concern," Enyos said as he tried to relight his pipe, "your vigil is over, Janna, now your servitude begins. The Golden Ones have arrived."

"I-I don't understand, uncle?"

"Soon you will, Janna, soon you will. Come, we have much to do!"

x

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AN 2017: _Off all the chapters I'm retouching this one was the hardest so far. The scenes at the Summers' home in particular. I am still not satisfied with it, but other then a complete rewrite I still don't know how to do it better. The last part though was fine. I still remember it, the chapter being more or less finished when the next day I woke up and in that half groggy state between still sleeping and waking up it hit me. Belmo was going to fuck over Buffy by not resouling Angelus, even though he could do so. In hindsight this was probably the moment where to me Belmo stopped being a Marty Sue (which he kinda was) and started to become something different._


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

 **'Of Werewolves and Ozaru's'**

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AN: _Just some lighthearted fun rump after last episode's misery. Some chapters put up stiff resistance while writing. Others basically write themselves. Like this one._

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"And you're sure it was a werewolf?" Buffy asked as she and the other Scoobies inspected the remains of Cordelia's heavily clawed car roof.

"Well, let's see, um," Xander said assuming a thinking pose, "six feet tall, claws, a big old snout in the middle of his face like a wolf. Um, yeah, I'm sticking with my first guess."

He was still pissed off from having a werewolf interrupting his smoochie session with Cordelia, last night on lover's lane.

"Seems wise," Oz agreed.

"Oh, oh, and then there was that little thing where it tried to bite us," Xander added for good measure.

"It was so awful," Cordelia said, putting her head on Xander's shoulder.

"I know," Xander said comforting and put his arm around Cordelia.

"Daddy just had this car detailed," Cordelia said and left his embrace to walk to her car.

"How come you did not kill it?" Belmovekk asked curiously, "surely you could have taken it on easily."

"Well, let's see," Xander replied, "a bit hard when you have your girlfriend wrapped around you and she just floors the gas pedal."

"It freaked me out," Cordelia said, "I may be used to vampires, demons and invisible girls these days but werewolves are not your everyday occurrences."

"Fair enough," the Saiyan said as he further inspected the damage.

Meanwhile Giles was busy reading a newspaper.

"So what's the word?" Buffy asked him after finishing her inspection of the car.

"Well, it seems there were a, a number of other attacks by a wild dog around town," Giles summarized, "several animal carcasses were found mutilated."

"You mean, like bunnies and stuff? No, don't tell me," Willow said a bit upset and looked at Oz.

"Oh, don't worry. I mean, they might not look it, but bunnies can really take care of themselves," the young man replied.

"Yeah?" Willow smiled.

"Yeah," he replied comforting.

"Yes, uh, um, fortunately, no people were injured," Giles said as he closed the newspaper.

"Otherwise we be hitting the known demon hangouts and unleashing the big hurt," the Saiyan said, "although this werewolf thing has me puzzled. What are they exactly?"

Giles proceeded to explain the nature of werewolves. Of how ordinary humans change into a werewolf once a month.

"Hmm, bizarre," Belmovekk nodded afterwards, "I guess that rules out edict violation though."

"Why?" Xander asked.

"The edict covers our underground population. It does not cover humans killing humans. Even if they are under the influence of a shape shifting disease."

"You almost sound, disappointed, that you don't get to kill any demons," Buffy teased. Belmovekk gave her a quick Saiyan deathglare. To little effect.

"Well, for now the point is moot," Giles said, "but my guess is that this werewolf will be back at next month's full moon."

"What about tonight's full moon," Willow asked.

"Pardon?" Giles asked in a 'did I miss something?' tone.

"Pardon?" Belmovekk said just don't liking it being full moon again.

"Well, last night was the night before the full moon, traditionally known as.. 'the night before the full moon," Willow said.

"Meaning the accepted legend that werewolves only prowl during a full moon might be erroneous," Giles agreed.

"Or it could be a crock," Cordelia suggested.

"Unless the werewolf was using last year's almanac," Xander added.

"Looks like Giles has some schooling to do," Buffy smiled.

"Yes, I must admit I, I am intrigued," Giles said not getting the pun, "werewolves, it's…, it's one of the classics. I, I'm sure my books and I are in for a fascinating afternoon."

"Well, you have to do this shindig without me," Belmovekk said, "me and full moons do not mix."

"Why, what happens," Oz asked curious.

"Imagine him turning into a big hairy ape," Xander said as he did a king kong impression.

"What, he's a wereape?" Oz asked surprised

"A freaking wereape the size of a house and ten times stronger then he already is, breathing death, doom and cheerful destruction wherever he goes," Xander replied knowing perfectly well what he's talking about from his Saiyan memories.

"We used to coincide planetary invasions with a full moon on particular troublesome worlds," the Saiyan said casually.

"I've always been curious about that," Buffy said, "couldn't you just do it once? For me?"

"Trust me, Buff," Xander said shaking his head, "you don't want to go there. If you want to be maxi wigged go watch The Exorcist or something."

"Yeah, but big monkey is cute," Buffy pouted, "even King Kong was a sad lonely monkey."

"The correct term is ape, Buff," Xander said back, "and if King Kong had nuked Manhattan with a single belch nobody would think of him as sad and lonely. Kill the bloody ape would be the creed."

"Fascinating though this discussion is I think I'll go hit my books," Giles said and went off to his library.

"I will accompany you," Belmovekk said and goes after Giles, "I have some things to discuss."

"I'll also come along" Oz said, "I also have something to ask."

"This is getting freaksome," Buffy said as the three of them left.

"It sure is," Cordelia said still looking at her car, "how on Earth am I going to explain this to my father!"

x

* * *

x

"What did you wanted to ask, young man?" Belmovekk said as he and Oz walked behind Giles.

"Willow said that you were training Buffy and Xander to be able to fight like you do," the young guitarist said.

"That is true, young man," Belmovekk confirmed, "Is there a point to this line of questioning?"

Oz looked a little uncomfortable and bit his lip for a moment.

"Could you, um, teach me too?" he finally asked a little hesitantly.

The Saiyan raised an eyebrow in surprise and nearly collided with a student.

"I guess I could, young man," he said after some thinking, "the real questions though are, why would you and how far are you willing to go? It takes quite the effort and commitment."

"Buffy and Xander seem to be doing alright," Oz shrugged.

"Ah, but Buffy is the Slayer, that gives her an edge," Belmovekk explained, "As for Xander, I was able to give him an unforeseen opportunity. Otherwise he would be nowhere near as good."

"And you couldn't provide such an opportunity for me?" Oz asked sensing a major but coming.

"Not unless you provide me with a chaos mage, a chaos God and an unholy festival," the Saiyan said. Oz gave him a weird look.

"Um, Halloween remember?" the Saiyan asked, "Did Willow not tell of her adventures that night?"

"Not really, but I do remember seeing her at the time in a particular hot little number," Oz grinned at the memory.

"Ah yes, the women of this planet do tend to look good when dressed like Marag harlots," Belmovekk smiled at the memory.

"Um, my girlfriend, remember?" Oz said sternly.

"Oh, rest assured, young man, in that respect dear Willow is furthest on my mind right now," the Saiyan grinned, "but that is a tale for another time, when you are a little older. Anyway, what happened to Xander was something unique, you should ask him. So do not expect the same kind of progress. Although, this being the Hellmouth surely something else will come your way. This is after all the weirdest of all places."

"Tell me about it," Oz agreed, "That is why I wished to learn, Belmovekk. I want to be able to defend Willow."

"Ah, the protector urge. How very noble of you, young man," Belmovekk said as he clasped Oz's shoulder with one hand, then made a broad gesture with the other, "Standing between harms way and the woman he loves. How can I refuse such a noble instinct? Alright, three times a week after school you can join Buffy and Xander at my gym."

"But they train nearly every day? Why can't I," Oz asked surprised.

"The human body cannot take the stress of such continuous rigorous exercise, young man," Belmovekk explained, "It needs time off to heal in between or all you end up achieving is getting weaker. Which is why I always alternate between one day of intensive training and one day of more relaxed exercise. With the emphasis on techniques. But as a beginner that is still too much for you. So three days for now only. And it is not going to be a picnic, young man. Even at that pace my training makes those of your elite special forces child's play."

Having an uncle who was a green beret gave Oz a pretty good indication of how tough that was. He didn't relish being pushed even harder. But sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do.

"The again, they don't have to live at the Hellmouth now do they," he replied

"Indeed they do not," the Saiyan smiled, he was starting to like this young man. He again put his hand on the young man's shoulder.

"But there will be a price to pay, young man," he said, sounding almost ominously.

Oz now began to look worried. Both Xander and Buffy had never talked about having to have pay for anything.

"I wish to learn to play that instrument that you play," the Saiyan said dead serious, "I wish to learn to play the electric guitar."

Oz looked flabbergasted.

"Are you serious?" he asked, "This is not a joke, right?"

Belmovekk nodded in response.

"You want to learn to play guitar?" Oz said still surprised, "Why does an alien want to learn guitar?"

"Because maybe after 4000 years of having to listen to unplugged music he likes to hear something different," the Saiyan said deadly serious, "And to be honest I always wanted to learn a musical instrument."

Oz gave Belmovekk a strange look.

"What? Like in 4000 years you never found the time to pick up an instrument?" he asked incredulously.

The Saiyan looked a little uncomfortable.

"When you put it like that you make me look like an procrastinator," he said.

"Or you could just say you were busy," Oz suggested.

"I was just busy," the Saiyan immediately picked up the hint. Smiling Oz shrugged.

"OK, I'll teach you, Belmovekk, but be warned, it will not be easy. Beware of the deadly E flat 9 diminished!"

"Sounds absolutely dangerous," the Saiyan smiled, "see you on friday, young man. Oh and start wearing these!"

The Saiyan gave Oz two sets of heavy bracers.

"Why?"

"Wearing them 24/7 will be an exercise in itself," the Saiyan said and pointed to a set he himself was wearing, "if you can move normally with these, imagine how much better you will be once you take them off. Besides, Buffy and Xander also wear them. Ankles and wrists!"

"Heavy," Oz said as he held up his set, "how heavy are yours?"

"Oh, nothing much," Belmovekk said casually, "only 2 tons each."

"You say those things way too easily," Oz said shaking his head.

"Where is the fun if you cannot show off from time to time?" the Saiyan smiled.

Oz nodded and they said goodbye. Giles had already vanished into his library, so Belmovekk followed him inside before the bookfever had gotten the best of him. Inside the library Giles was already searching for the right books on werewolves.

"I am sorry to interrupt your favorite hobby, Master Giles," Belmovekk said and locked the library doors using his chi, "but we need to have a word in private."

"Alright, Belmovekk," Giles said putting down his books, "what did Oz want by the way?"

"The boy wishes to become a man and train to protect his girl," the Saiyan smiled leaning on a chair, "his heart is in the right place."

"Is that wise?"

The Saiyan shrugged.

"Only the Necessities, oracles and prophets can see into the future, Master Giles. I will just have to do the best I can. Besides, what wisdom is there in letting the boy hang out with us when he cannot fight? I am leaning towards the idea that even Cordelia, Willow and you should also train. At least some elementary self defense."

Giles nodded. With the amount of times they themselves had been attacked it made indeed some sense. But after having seen many of the grueling exercises Belmovekk liked to put Buffy and Xander through he didn't relish doing some of them himself.

"But I did not come to talk about the boy, Master Giles," Belmovekk said, his smile gone, "I came to talk about Angelus, his curse and Miss Calendar's people. I have had a most interesting talk with her clan elder."

"Could they re-soul Angel?" Giles asked hopeful.

"The possibility exists," the Saiyan shrugged, "although they claim it will be difficult. That many of their magics were lost in what he called the Nazi death camps."

"The holocaust," Giles said mournful, "of course, Gypsy's were heavily persecuted by those damn Nazi's."

"I have read about these people," Belmovekk said shaking his head in dejection, "It chilled me to the bone, Master Giles and I do not chill that easily. At least Grolims do their evil because of a God. What these people did..."

"I could very well imagine, Belmovekk," Giles agreed, "But the possibility still exists to re-soul Angel?"

"It does," the Saiyan replied, without looking Giles in the face.

"Then we should do it," Giles said, "Buffy…."

"No Master Giles," Belmovekk said and shook his head, "we should not re-soul Angelus."

Giles looked utterly amazed at the Saiyan.

"B-b-but w-why?" he asked in bewilderment.

"Because this cannot always be about Buffy," the Saiyan said as he started pacing, "we are talking the big picture here. If she were ten years older and wiser, then maybe I would have agreed. But as long as she deeply and madly loves that vampire the danger always exists that he could lose his soul again. She is still a teenager, remember?"

"I-I see your point, Belmovekk," Giles said, looking godsmacked, "but s-surely if we explain the situation to her she would understand. And Angel had been an asset to us."

"And Angelus can also be an asset, Master Giles," Belmovekk said, "I have already made a deal with him."

"What! Are you mad?" Giles exploded, both in shock and anger, "He was the scourge of Europe!"

"I think I may have found the perfect way of controlling him," the Saiyan replied still pacing, "you see, the Gypsy elder wished to meet me and sent Miss Calendar to get me. Angelus however had also decided to see the man. To kill him if need be, I suspect. Although he claims only to have wanted to scare the man away. My scouter registered his presence so I went Super Saiyan and intercepted him in the Gypsy elder's hotel room. We had a most interesting chat after that. Angelus fears being re-souled, Master Giles. He fears it deeply. We will use this to our leverage. He can be our eyes and ears in the Sunnydale underworld far better then Angel ever could. In order to catch a monster one sometimes needs a monster."

Giles didn't know what to say at first. There was a certain perverse logic to it.

"I see," he said after some thinking, "B-but what about Buffy?"

"Although it pains me greatly she will just have to let go of her foolish romantic fantasies, Master Giles," Belmovekk said, now standing in front of a window admiring the view, "this whole Slayer/vampire love thing may have been very romantic in the past, now it is a liability. It is vital that she comes to accept that Angel is gone forever. Remember, the curse was meant as a punishment. Its purpose after all was to make the demon Angelus that was still inside suffer for his evil deeds, not to let Angel lock lips with a girl he loves."

Giles started to pace himself while polishing his glasses. This was wrong. Wrong in so many ways. And what made it even worse was that it was also right. He didn't like to have to lie to Buffy, but deep down he knew that the Saiyan was right in a way. Even if they did restore Angel's soul with the same curse he would now forever be a liability. And he knew Buffy well enough to know she was stubborn enough to ignore reality if she wished for something really badly.

And yet, there was trust involved. The trust between a Watcher and a Slayer. A sacred bond. But at the same time a bond meant so the two of them could fight evil better. Which meant he had to do the right thing. But what if doing the right thing meant making things worse? Did he have the kind of faith in his Slayer as the Watchers before him did? And why was he placing so much faith now in a man whom he distrusted a few months earlier?

Because the Edict works? Because more people are safe now then there used to be under the Council regime of just patrolling the streets and looking for the odd vampire or demon to fight? Because his charge was now so much more stronger then any of her predecessors could hope to be and now had a chance to live longer? Because his own Council had decided not to listen to his recommendations and observations in regards to training future Slayers and the Potentials? Because the Saiyan had proven to have a keen eye for strategy and a willingness to do whatever it takes, unlike the Council? And last but not least, because when it came to Angel Buffy was clearly throwing all advice and common sense into the wind?

Not that he didn't understand her position. He too had loved and lost. It was not a feeling he wished upon anyone. But a choice had to be made between trusting the safety of their group, Sunnydale and possibly countless people on this world and a teenage crush. It chilled him to his core that the Saiyan, who seemed almost fatherly close to Buffy, was still willing to cause her great hardship and heartbreak on behalf of the greater picture. Could he do any less? Wasn't that his job as a Watcher to begin with? Why the Council helped, guide and commanded the Slayer, instead of just being its trusty sidekick.

Belmovekk had ranted often about how unfair it was that being the Slayer was trusted about underage teenage girls. And not just because they were still at heart kids, adolescents barely of age. But also because teenagers were notorious for being fickle and mercurial of mind. When kings and queens died and left heirs to young of age countries did not let them govern at such a young age, instead regents were appointed to govern for them. That was why the Council made sure the Watchers led and the Slayers followed. Was it smart for him to let Buffy lead the group in this matter based on her feelings of the heart, not her mind?

"I agree," he finally said after some heavy soul searching, "as long as there is no other way to permanently restore Angel's soul he is a liability of sorts. But what do we tell Buffy if she sees Angelus working with us?"

"We tell her that we have made a deal with him," Belmovekk shrugged, "that if he works for us, we do not kill him. To do anything less would make us suspicious anyway. Xander especially is far too clever for that. Or Willow. And if she sees him I have instructed Angelus to give her the cold shoulder, again and again until she comes to accept it."

"That is cruel, Belmovekk," Giles gasped.

"I know, Master Giles. But what is, is," the Saiyan said wistfully, "sometimes one has to be cruel in order to be kind. Even though a part of me dies a little to see her all heartbroken. If only she let me kill him!"

Belmovekk turned around and looked Giles in the eyes.

"She must never learn of this conversation, Master Giles. What we discuss here must never leave this room! This world will not be big enough if she finds out there is a way to restore Angel's soul. She will pursue it will every breath of her being."

"She would," Giles agreed, "she can be..., most stubborn."

"Admirable traits in battle, Master Giles, but not in this case," Belmovekk sighed and sat down in a chair, "Teenage girls should never have been made the vessel for this kind of responsibility. 21 would have been a far better age."

"I agree, Belmovekk," Giles said, "but as you are so fond of saying, what is, is."

Belmovekk looked at Giles, then shrugged. The librarian was right, what is, is. It didn't do well to dwell upon that which cannot be changed. Then he pulled out a folded set of papers from a pocket, put them on the table and nodded towards Giles to take a look at them.

"What is this?" Giles asked as he started to unfold the pieces of paper.

"Something Jenny gave me after I had a chat with her elder," Belmovekk smiled, "I thought it would be something you would find interesting."

"Jenny? You mean Miss Calendar?" Giles said as he looked up from the papers.

"Yes, Master Giles, your ex," Belmovekk said as he reclined in his chair, "She misses you, you know."

"That chapter is closed," Giles said harshly.

"If you say so," the Saiyan shrugged and looked away. Giles started to read the papers for a while. Then his eyes grew big.

"This is a Gypsy prophecy," Giles exclaimed both excited and outraged at once, "she gave you a bloody Gypsy prophecy! The Gypsy's have long kept these secret. Not even the Watchers Council has a copy on record and we have everything. And to put insult to injury she gave you one on a bloody computer print out!"

"Does it matter?" the Saiyan chuckled amused.

"This is one of the most secret prophecies known to man, Belmovekk," Giles said as he thumbed the papers, "It belongs in a proper book. Not some damn piece of paper that came out of one of those infernal machines."

Belmovekk could hardly contain his laughter.

"Sometimes I worry about you, Master Giles," he couldn't help but snigger, "Be glad she did not give you one of those on, what do you call it, floppy discs, instead?"

"Oh, she would," Giles fumed indignant.

"I do not think so," the Saiyan said, "cause then you would need Willow and for now she knows this is highest clearance only."

Giles huffed a bit but sat down and started to read. While he read Belmovekk sat down, put his feet on the table and willed a bottle of liquor into existence, together with two glasses and filled them up. He put one glass next to Giles but the librarian hardly touched it. Belmovekk however downed one glass after the other until most of the bottle was empty.

"Fascinating," Giles said after a while, "according to this the Gypsy's believe that the hands of fate are actively conspiring against them and that one day a group of beings will arrive that will take on the hands of fate and end them. They are referred to as the Golden Ones. And since you do have that ability to transform."

"That is what he called me, Master Giles, the Golden One," the Saiyan said looking absentminded through a glass filled with liquor, "It seriously crept me out when he did, damn Gypsy bugger."

"Then he must really believe you are this Golden One, Belmovekk," Giles said, "No one outside of the Gypsy's has ever seen this prophecies. This could have serious ramifications!"

"Tell me about it," the Saiyan sighed, "I need the buggers though to give me that curse again to keep Angelus in check. Does it say much on what I must do?"

"It's full of the usual kind of gibberish," Giles said, "actually it's chock full of the usual gibberish. It's going to need a lot of studying to make sense. Most interesting though. It would be helpful if I could get their commentaries though. Surely Gypsy scholars have studied these prophecies and made certain interpretations that could be helpful. Could you ask Miss Calendar to give you these? Preferably in bookform?"

"Why don't you ask them yourself, Master Giles?" Belmovekk said and nodded towards where the computer science classroom was located, "You are the expert here. I was never much for the books. I'm sure she would love to hear from you again."

Having said it the Saiyan downed another glass.

"It can wait," Giles said and got up to put the prophecy printout in his safe in the cage, "for the moment we have this werewolf problem to deal with. I must hit the books as it were."

"I wish you many happy readings, Master Giles," the Saiyan said. He saluted Giles and got up and left the library. It was only after he had left that Giles noticed the by now empty bottle and his own glass. Carefully he took it in hand and smelled it cautiously. It felt like everything in his nose shriveled up and died.

"Good God, how strong is this stuff?"

x

* * *

x

"Willy!" a voice yelled that barkeeper Willy hoped he'd never hear again. As he turned around he saw it was the crazed attack dog of the Slayer, standing in the door opening of his bar. Thanking his lucky stars that he just took a piss or else he'd be pissing his pants Willy managed to bring out a weak smile on his face. He still has nightmares from what happened the last time. A few glances down the bar show that he's not the only one. Some of his customers are getting shifty, looking for the exit.

"Mr. B," he said after a few swallows, "whatever you heard I didn't do it."

"Relax, Willy," the man he kne and feared as Mr. B., said, "I am not here on business."

Mr. B. hopped on a bar stool and then leaned forward until his face was inches away from Willy's.

"Unless you've been a bad boy again and you have this deep innate desire to tell me about it.," he said softly as he smirked.

Looking into that smirk Willy felt his blood leave his face and swallowed.

"N-n-n-n-n-n-no, M-m-m-m-mr. B. Everything i-i-i-is cool. Right boys?"

All the demons and vamps started nodding fearfully in agreement. After learning of the turning of Angel into Angelus and the recent news of a werewolf everybody was jittery, fearing a new crackdown at some point.

"Well, Willy, I guess all you can do then is get me a drink. What do you have?" Mr. B. said cheerfully.

Relaxing just a bit Willy pointed to some of his bottles behind him on the wall.

"As you can see, Mr. B, we do have an extensive collection. Is there anything in particular you'd like?"

"Today I am in the mood for something more exotic, Willy," Mr. B. said smacking his lips, "I can get beer everywhere. Your Earth spirits I can also get in normal bars. Surely your special 'clientele' has a liking for..., 'other' kinds of spirits as well?"

"You'd be surprised, Mr. B," Willy said, relaxing even more, as did his clientele. If the Slayers attack dog only wished to drink then the chances of there being any dying decreased dramatically.

"Most just want to have a quiet place to drink," Willy continued more casually, "they wouldn't fit in in another locale. But you are right though. Some want something they can't get anywhere else."

Putting his cleaning cloth over his shoulder Willy rummaged behind the bar and pulled a number of exotic looking bottles from underneath. Him being able to provide whatever customer with whatever drink they wanted was part of what had kept him in business. Even after they had turned on him during Mr. B.'s last visit. He still wasn't fully healed from that beating.

"This is Plop, drink of choice of Fyarl demons," Willy said and put a bottle on the table, "guaranteed to kill most humans. Or at least to give them some serious Alzheimer. Or so I'm told."

Willy smiled at his pun but Mr. B. wasn't amused. He wasn't really bored either so the barkeeper continued.

"Sod here's highly recommended by Bulgar demons. Then again, knowing Bulgars, that's hardly a recommendation now is it? I have some Binky, mostly leftover from when we had this Indonesian demon convention visiting town. Srrbski here is distilled by demon monks worshiping some Hellgod called Glorificus. Can also be used successfully as paint stripper I might add. But then again, which spirit cannot be used as paint stripper?"

Mr. B. again failed to laugh and just looked at the bottles.

"Klleek is the favorite poison of Bracken demons. Nasty stuff, I'm told. Even they only drink it to show off their prowess. Brevari has been said to make humans and vampires go mad. This Taree is rumored to be most potent. This stuff though….," Willy said, examining a bottle without a label, "…I'm not sure what it is. I got it once from a Thrakhen demon, although it declined to tell me anything about it other then its name and you'll put your tongue in a knot trying to say it. So what will it be, Mr. B.?"

"All of them," Mr. B. said deadpan.

"Are you sure, Mr. B?" Willy said taken aback.

"ALL OF THEM," Mr. B. shouted and slammed his fist on the bar, creating a large hole.

"The customer is always right, Mr. B." Willy quickly said and put a glass in front of Mr. B.

x

* * *

x

That evening on a couch by a low table in the Bronze Cordelia and Willow sat together on a couch.

"I mean, with Xander it's always, 'Buffy did this', 'Willow said that'," Cordelia said in ultra bitch mode, "Buffy, Buffy. Willow, Willow. It's like I don't even exist."

"I sometimes feel like that," Willow said in agreement.

"And then when I call him on it, he acts all confused," Cordelia continued, "like I'm the one with the problem."

"His 'do I smell something?' look," Willow said in total agreement.

"All a part of his little guy games. It's like he's there, but then he's not there, and he wants it, but then he doesn't want it," Cordelia continued.

"He's so busy looking around at everything he doesn't have, he doesn't even realize what he 'does' have," Willow nodded in agreement.

"Well, he should at least realize that you have Oz," Cordelia said.

"Mm, I'm not sure I do," Willow said a little unsure, "Oz and I are in some sort of holding pattern, except without the holding or.. anything else."

"What's he waiting for? What's his problem," Cordelia said rolling her eyes, "oh, that's right, he's a guy."

"Yeah, him and Xander. Guys!" Willow snorted.

"Who do they think they are?" Cordelia huffed

"A couple of guys," Willow echoed.

Before they can continue their guy bitchfest from above a great big man/wolf crossover beast suddenly dropped down and landed on the table in front of them. Wasting no time in panicking both girls got up and ran away, as did everybody else, leaving a very confused werewolf behind.

Outside in the alley. Giles, Buffy and Xander arrive in Giles' beaten up old Citroen as panicking teens stream out of the Bronze's entrance.

"Looks as though your hunch was right, Buffy," Giles said as he got out of his car.

"Who could resist Sunnydale's own house of hormones," Buffy said, partly regretting being right.

No sooner did Buffy leave Giles' car as Willow came up to them.

"The werewolf, it's in there," Willow yelled and pointed towards the Bronze.

"Xander, stay outside in case it escapes," Buffy said, "I don't want it to get away."

"You got it," Xander responded without question. That was one good thing about this team mate thing, Buffy couldn't help but think. She and Xander had really started to disagree about a lot of things, but when it came to fray adjacent he now did as ordered, no questions asked.

"Coming through!" Buffy yelled as she stormed into the Bronze past the other panicking teens trying to leave.

x

* * *

x

In Willy's bar Mr. B. had been drinking in silence all evening. To the utter amazement of everybody he had managed to down everything that Willy had put down in front of him. With no other signs of visible effects then that what appeared to have been a brown furry belt turning out to be a tail that was now gently but irregularly swaying.

Mr. B. downed the final glass of a smoking concoction favored by Kragh demons. The vapor alone was enough to make most patrons of Willy's bar eyes tear. Mr. B. just downed it, his face turned red and while he smiled flames come from his open mouth.

"So, Mr. B. now that you've had a taste I'm curious," Willy asked curious, "what is your verdict? You must be the only person alive to have tried all of these and lived to tell the tale."

"Well, Willy, most of them taste like chemical waste," Mr. B. said and pointed at the various bottles, "although the Plop was not bad. The Klleek here makes you feel like two mules are kicking inside your brain in harmony. And the Taree is indeed most potent. It's the mystery drink though, be wary, very wary of that."

"Why, Mr. B. it hurts?" Willy asked, "severe afterkick? Migraine attack? Extreme dizziness?"

Mr. B. just shook his head.

"No, Willy it does the exact opposite of what you want it to do. It makes you feel sober."

"Can't have that in a bar now can we," Willy said shocked and studied the bottle. The only one not emptied. Eventually he poured the content into the sink. Bar beverages are after all meant to inebriate you, not sober you up.

"Luckily for me this smoking thing does what it's supposed to," Mr. B. continued, "puts you so far back into absolutely pissed country you come out at the other end of its border into severe comatose land."

"Thank God for small favors then, Mr. B," Willy said cheerful, "I'll order some more then?"

"You betcha!" Mr. B, said and tapped the bar to illustrate his point, "You get me some more of that in the future!"

"No problem, Mr. B.," Willy said already making a mental note to order a full crate.

"Now, if you excuse me," Mr. B. said as he hopped off his bar stool, "it is time for me to go home. Have a nice evening, Willy. Do not do anything bad. We are getting so well along now."

"I'm a veritable paragon of virtue, Mr. B," Willy smiled, like a used car salesman that is.

"I like that," Mr. B. smiled and dropped a gold coin on the bar. Willy's eyes grew big like saucers. Greedy saucers.

"Hope to see you again, Mr. B.," he said and for once meant it as he grabbed the coin.

As Mr. B. walked to the exit he passed a table where one demon reached out and took hold of him by the arm.

"What?" Mr. B. said in a 'don't mess with me' tone of voice.

"You drink well," the demon said and nodded his head in respect.

"Why thank you," Mr. B. said and left the bar.

Outside of the bar Belmovekk steadied himself against a wall with one hand and rubbed his head with the other. That smoking stuff was nice but it does have a big afterkick. It felt like a herd of elephants were moshing inside his skull to the tune of Angel of Death. He began to breath deeply, fill his lungs with fresh air and after a minute he felt better again.

It's then that he felt a very familiar chi powering up as if about to go into battle.

"Buffy?" he said surprised. She was this nearby? And powering up? Trouble must be underfoot.

"Hold on, I am co…," he tried to say, then he noticed something.

Up above in the sky a familiar light shone in the night. One that compelled him to look upward. Into the reflection of a full moon.

"Oh shit," Belmovekk muttered.

x

* * *

x

Inside the Bronze things are trashed as usual and Buffy and Giles stand overseeing the damage. Together with an asshole of a werewolf hunter they had met earlier outside of town.

"You let it get away," the asshole said accusingly.

"I didn't let it do anything," Buffy responded, "I had the chain around its neck."

"Chain? What were you gonna do, take it for a walk?" the werewolf hunter called Cain responded sarcastically.

"I was going to lock it up," Buffy retorted.

"That's beautiful," the werewolf hunter snorted ,"this is what happens when a woman tries to do a man's job."

Buffy was a heartbeat away from thrashing Cain into an inch of his life when Giles intervened.

"Now, you look here, Mr. Cain. This girl risked her life trying to capture a beast that you haven't as yet been able to find."

"Uh-huh. And Daddy's doing a great job carrying her bag of milk bones," Cain replied caustic.

It took even less acidic remarks of the werewolf hunter to make Giles also want to thrash the man within an inch of his life. Great restraint and not being as strong as Cain kept Giles from doing just that.

"You know, sis," Cain said to Buffy, "if that thing out there harms anyone, it's going to be on your pretty little head. I hope you can live with that."

"I live with that every day," Buffy responded coolly.

"First they tell me I can't hunt an elephant for its ivory. Now I've gotta deal with People for the Ethical Treatment of Werewolves," Cain muttered as he left the Bronze.

"Pillock," Giles coughed not so subtle.

"Right, let's move out," Giles said to Buffy, "Xander is following the werewolf."

They're just outside of the Bronze when suddenly a giant primordial scream could be heard, chilling both Buffy and Giles to the bone. Buffy immediately grabbed her new scouter from the bag Giles was carrying, just freshly delivered from Capsule Corp. It hasn't proven itself very useful on werewolves yet but it does allow for handy radio communication with Xander. Giles took out his scouter as well,

"Xander," she yelled as she and Giles ran from the Bronze, "what was that? Are you OK?"

"Oh Buffy," Xander's voice singsonged over the scouter.

Xander had seen the werewolf leave the Bronze through one of the windows and went of after it in hot pursuit. Using the skills he gained from the Saiyan Elite he lifted off on his own chi power and followed the werewolf from above as it tried to leave Sunnydale through the lesser parts of the town.

Suddenly a huge roar was heard to the left of him. Xander looked and stopped following the werewolf. It's no longer important in the sense that a drowning man has bigger concerns then not being able to swim when he suddenly sees a hungry shark coming for him.

"Oh shit," he mutters. The one thing he learned from the Saiyan Elite he'd never hoped to see.

"Xander what was that? Are you OK," Buffy's voice coming through the headphone built into his scouter asked.

"Oh Buffy," Xander said, slowly in a singsong tone of voice, "if I were you I'd never ever say a wish out loud again."

"Why?" Buffy replied confused, "What is it? My scouter is going haywire!"

"Didn't you express a wish earlier to see Belmovekk turn into a wereape? Well, guess what, Buff, your wish has been granted. Of all the things you could have wished for, couldn't you have wished for a freak shower of 100 dollar bills instead?"

"Good God," Giles' voice said next.

x

* * *

x

A giant ten meter high ape stalked the streets of Sunnydale. Its body resembling that of a gorilla, although its head was more a cross between an ape and a wolf. It crushed cars as it stepped on them like they were toys, bending streetlights as if they were made out of paper clips as it moved through the streets.

x

* * *

x

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Xander said as he tried to come up with strategies on how to counter a Saiyan Ozaru.

x

* * *

x

"Oh dear," Giles muttered, finally understanding the difference between hearing about something and finally seeing it.

x

* * *

x

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," a certain werewolf hunter named Cain said who's putting the pedal to the metal of his car trying to put as much distance as possible between him and the giant beast, "they ain't paying me enough money for this! I fucking hate Commiefornia!"

x

* * *

x

"There's something you don't see every day," Buffy remarked.

x

* * *

x

"We must lead it away from the city," Xander said as he met up with Buffy and Giles.

"How," Giles said and pointed at the wereape in the distance, "if that thing is Belmovekk he'll squash us like flies,"

As if to illustrate that point, the Saiyan ape stopped and belched. A fireball escaped from his mouth and flew off into the sky to land far outside of the city. For a heartbeat nothing seems to happen, then a flash could be seen, followed by a big rumble a few seconds later, like the sound of loud lightning thundering in the distance.

"Oh dear," Giles muttered in horror.

"BUFFY," the Saiyan ape said and started moving towards them.

"I think he likes you," Xander said jokingly, "Fay Wray much?"

"This is not funny, Xander," Buffy replied angrily.

Xander was about to release another pun only then to realize the seriousness of it all.

"He may be coming after you, Buff," he said.

"Why?" Buffy said taken aback, "No offense Xander, but you're the demon magnet. I just kill them."

"But you're his girl," Xander retorted, "he cares deeply about you. A Saiyan Ozaru is usually a primitive mindless killing machine. But maybe some of those feelings have slipped over into this primitive mind."

"It's worth a shot," Giles said, seeing what Xander was trying to say.

"Why me?" Buffy said looking up to the heavens.

"You are just too damn cute for your own good?" Xander said and put his arms around Buffy, "hold on!"

Xander's chi flame erupted and he took off, carrying Buffy flying out of town.

"Whoa , Xander, this is so cool," Buffy said as she experienced flight for the first time, "I want to do this too!"

"Well, if we all make it through this night, you can ask the B-man," Xander said trying to concentrate real hard on keeping the both of them afloat. Which wasn't that easy because while he knew how to do it, his powerlevel was nowhere near what his memories though they were. Which meant they were going way too slow for comfort.

"Is he following?" Buffy asked

"Oh yeah," Xander winced.

x

* * *

x

Giles stood by, standing in a door entrance as the huge furry Saiyan wereape thrashed by, destroying another parked car in the process.

"BUFFY," it roared. Then it took off and started flying after Xander, be it very erratically, occasionally grazing the ground. Not being able to help Giles emerged from the door entrance. As he looked around wrecked cars, bend street lighting and damaged houses mark the trail of the Saiyan's passing

"I wonder how they are going to explain this tomorrow," he said.

x

* * *

x

"I think it's gaining on us, Xan," Buffy said as she looked back.

"At least he's out of the city," Xander remarked as they flew above the wilderness.

"It's gaining awfully fast," Buffy said.

"BUFFY! HOLD ON, I AM COMING!" sounded behind them, far closer then Xander would have liked.

"Should it be talking like that, Xan?" Buffy asked

Xander didn't reply but he knew she was right. From his Saiyan Elite memories he knew that Ozaru's don't talk. Unless..., whoever turned into one had some measure of control over it.

"I'm going to land, Buff," Xander said, "I have an idea. Besides, we can't outrun him anyway."

Xander came down in an open spot in the forested area they were flying over and let go of the Slayer. Within seconds the Saiyan Ozaru landed after them. Up close the beast looked even more intimidating. Xander couldn't help but wonder how many people's last thing they had ever seen was a beast such as this. Millions? Billions? Trillions?

"This is your idea of a plan?" Buffy yelled at Xander.

"ARE YOU OK, BUFFY?" the monster roared. Yet strangely it didn't try to come any closer. It just hunched there, 14 meters away from them.

"Just talk to him," Xander said and pointed towards Belmovekk.

"What in Gods name do I say to him?" she hissed back.

"Just talk, your blondness," Xander implored, "its Belmovekk!"

"I so resent that blond joke," she said to Xander, then looked at the monster again, "Uh, hello Belmo, is it you?"

"OF COURSE ITS ME!," the wereape thundered, "THANK THE GODS, I WAS SO WORRIED WHEN I SENSED YOU POWERING UP."

"Must have been at the Bronze," Xander whispered.

The giant ape came forth, stretched out his arms and gently grabbed Buffy and lifted her up, a little rough, yet still surprisingly gentle.

"Had a bit of a scrape back there, Belmo," she said apprehensively, "but everything is alright now. Really!"

"GOOD," Ozaru Belmovekk said and sat down, still holding Buffy in his right hand

"Uh, Belmo, why are you looking like that?" she asked after a while.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, BUFFY?" the wereape thundered, then he noticed his furry state, "I..OH! OH SHIT!"

"Somebody's been looking too much at the full moon again," Xander said.

"HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? I….," Belmovekk said. Then suddenly from the woods the werewolf appeared. Seeing the large Saiyan Ozaru it stopped in its tracks. The two beasts look at each other, then they started to tense. The werewolf started to snarl, so did Belmo the ape.

"Uh, Belmo," Buffy said as he was still holding her. But he was now ignoring her, all focus on the werewolf. Then the werewolf roared defiantly, as if it resented having an intruder in its territory. The Belmo ape also roared and uses his left fist to pound the ground. Causing a small quake.

"SOD OFF, YOU TWAT," Belmo ape roared angry.

The werewolf jumped as if in answer, trying to lunge for Belmovekk's throat. The Saiyan wereape however easily swated him aside and knocked the werewolf against a tree. Having the air knocked out of it so brutally the werewolf fell to the ground unconscious.

"I guess that's one crisis solved," Buffy said, "uh Belmo, could you please put me down?"

"OH, I AM SORRY," Belmovekk roared and put Buffy down gently.

"Whoa! Now all we need is the Empire State Building and three biplane aircraft," Xander smiled, seeing it all happen in his mind.

The giant ape belched again, only this time puts his hand before his mouth. A small detonation could be heard and smoke rising through his fingers.

"EXCUSE ME, BUFFY, IT SEEMS I HAVE HAD A CONSIDERABLE WAY TOO MUCH TO DRINK," Belmo ape said, and as if to illustrate his point he loses his balance, staggering all over the place.

"OOPS!" he then said and then collapsed face first on the ground. Only quick reflexes allow Buffy to escape being crushed by his huge body as it thundered into the ground. The fall rendered him unconscious and his body rapidly started to change back into his normal Saiyan self until all that remained was his naked body loudly snoring.

"Figures," snorted Buffy in disgust as she gave his unconscious body a kick, "the first time in half a year he finally calls me by my name and he turns out to be a drunk ape!"

Xander meanwhile walked over to the unconscious werewolf and started to poke him.

"He's out cold as well," he said, "let's use this to our advantage. I'll take him to Little Vegetasei and lock him up in the gravity gym. If he broke the chains, Giles' cage won't hold him either. At least the gym can."

"And King Kong here," Buffy asked still looking at the snoring Saiyan.

"You can be Fay Wray," Xander grinned, "and go all teary eyes on hi…."

THUD!

"Auw!" Xander yelped in pain after getting hit on the head by a rock thrown by Buffy.

"You get your ass back here soon, Xander," she said angry, "I'm not going to drag a drunk naked Saiyan back to town."

x

* * *

x

"I have to say, Xander," Giles said, "I was most impressed with your performance last night."

"Ah, geez, Giles, it was nothing," Xander said blushing lightly, "just a little help from those Saiyan memories."

"No, credit is due where credit is due, young man," Giles said serious, "You kept a good level head in what could have potentially been a very ugly situation."

"My hero," Cordelia said and gave Xander a kiss on his cheek. Making the shaggy young man blush even more.

"Ah, Cordelia," Xander grinned nervously, "you know I don't mind the smoochies, but uh, not in front of the troops!"

After the excitement of the last night, the Scoobies had gathered back at Little Vegetasei, as Belmovekk's residence had been dubbed, early in the morning and standing outside the gravity gym containing the werewolf.

"So how's Belmovekk?" Giles asked as he turned towards Buffy.

"Still sleeping it off," Buffy answered, looking slightly embarrassed.

"God, that guy is heavy," Xander sighed at the memory.

"But very yummy naked," Buffy grinned teasingly.

"Please, Buff," Xander said, "before you and the B-man start going to Dateville can you please wait till I'm gone and ignorant!"

"Speaking of Dateville," Cordelia asked Willow, "Where is Oz?"

"I don't know," Willow replied, "I called him but nobody answered."

"Oh guys," Buffy said and gestured the others to come to the window of the Gravity gym, "you are never going to believe this."

"No way!" Xander said as he saw inside the gym who the werewolf had turned back into.

"Oh, yes way," Buffy nodded.

"Oh dear," Giles muttered.

"This is so Hellmouth," Xander exclaimed.

"That it is," Buffy said smirking.

"Who is it?" Willow asked curious, still not seeing it as the others were blocking the view.

"Well," Xander said hesitantly, "hard to say, Will. In this case, seeing is believing."

Willow stepped up to the window as Xander stepped away. Her mouth then fell open in amazement.

Becoming curious as well, Cordelia also had a look. Banging on the other side of the window was a naked Oz. Buffy then activated the loudspeaker.

"Let me out! Let me out! Let me out! Let me out! Let me out!"

"Not before you agree to pay the repairs to my car, young man" Cordelia spoke sternly into the microphone.

x

* * *

x

AN 2017: _This was a fun chapter to revisit. The only major change was adding some more moral dilemma to Giles' reaction and agreement with Belmo's plans with Angelus and Buffy, as it felt a little too easy. In case you're wondering, Plop, Binky and Sod come from a beer bender in the British sitcom Men Behaving Badly._


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen**

 **'Techniques, boys and girl'**

x

x

AN: _Just something I felt needed doing. A lot of the figures mentioned stem from the powerlevels listed on DBZ sites like the sadly departed Planet Namek. Which I happened to have downloaded most of it on my harddrive. It always surprised me why Toriyama kept hyping up the Kamehameha so much when doing the math showed that others had far more devastating attacks._

x

* * *

x

"Oz, my good fellow, walk with me," Belmovekk said. The young guitarist nodded and followed Belmovekk to a corner of the gravity gym as Buffy and Xander did their own exercises.

"Young man, I want to ask you something. It involves something you may not like to do."

"Just tell, sensei," the young man said.

"I know you are not comfortable with your recently discovered werewolfness," the Saiyan said. "That you would rather not be one. That is understandable. As you may have heard I suffered from a similar, um, episode. However I wish to steer your training in such a way that you must embrace that part of your heritage."

"Why?" Oz asked surprised, "I just hurt people like that!"

The Saiyan puts his hand on the guitar player's shoulder.

"I think you could be much more powerful if you do. And be in full control as well," the Saiyan added to ease the young man, "young man, there are beings in the universe who, like you, are able to transform into something more unpleasant. We Saiyans for instance transform into something very much similar like werewolves. Something both Xander and the young lady have undoubtedly told you everything about, in no doubt at my expense I suspect."

Oz suppressed a smile. They all had a good laugh afterwards with Xander occasionally thumping his chest behind Belmovekk's back and grasping for imaginary aircraft.

"Like werewolves the Saiyan transformation is triggered by the moon," the Saiyan continued oblivious, "ours however can only be triggered if we see the reflection of a sun on a completely full moon. It triggers a reaction in a gland of our tail. When that happens we transform in giant apes. Normally they are mindless killing machines that breath pure destruction. Over the centuries however we have learned ways to embrace that reaction."

"Why, it sounds even more horrible then being a werewolf!" Oz said bewildered.

"Because it can be a powerful force multiplier in battle to get a boost like that," the Saiyan explained, "Some of our invasions were even timed to coincide with a full moon."

Oz could indeed make a very nasty mental picture of that.

"We did that quite often. I think I did it twice," Belmovekk said, looking slightly absentminded as it triggered some long forgotten memories, "At least I think it was twice. Troublesome worlds."

"And you want me to unleash a mindless killing machine in the heat of battle?" Oz asked apprehensive.

"No, young man," the Saiyan said looking directly into Oz's eyes, "I want you to be able to control it in battle, to be fully intelligent and in control while you access those extra powers. As a werewolf you were quite powerful. Buffy here had to power up considerably and you were still able to get away from her. To me that said you have great potential hidden inside you."

Oz thought it over for a while. He couldn't remember a damn thing from being a werewolf

"But is that even possible?"

"Oh yes," Belmovekk nodded, "through arduous training a Saiyan can learn to control the Ozaru form. Imagine being able to increase your power tenfold and have control over it? Over time I have also mastered that technique. Even when I was, shall we say, inebriated, I still was somewhat able to control being Ozaru. I would like to teach these techniques to you."

Oz turned around and looked at Buffy and Xander going through their training. It was seductive to get that leg up and get to their level more quickly. But he really hated being that werewolf. A mindless deadly creature. Belmovekk could see that Oz wasn't convinced yet.

"But I would only be able to use it during the full moon cycle," Oz said, "three nights a month isn't that useful."

"Oh, I think that with the right kind of training it should be able for you to transform at will," the Saiyan smiled, "a being like Freeza could transform himself an amazing three times. He had others working for him who could also transform. In fact I am counting on that difference, young man. If we could have changed into Ozaru at will my race would not be extinct. Not even Saiyan elites could transform themselves at will. They had to create an artificial moon. Werewolf however manifests itself without actually having to see the full moon. We can lock you up in complete darkness and you would still transform. Therefore the trigger should be able to be tricked more easy then Ozaru. I look forward to this challenge."

"So I am asking you, young man, do you wish for me to pursue this line of training or do you wish me for me to drop it and never speak of it again. The choice is all yours."

Belmovekk looked really eager, maybe too much to Oz's liking.

"I don't know," Oz said shaking his head, "on the one hand I really want to protect Willow. On the other hand, ever since I learned I am a werewolf I can't wait to get rid of it."

"You do not have to decide right now, young man," Belmovekk said to put Oz at ease, "a decision of this magnitude has to be carefully thought over."

Oz looked to the ground as he started to think. While it would be helpful to call upon that extra power, he really feared being that wolf again. Then something occurs to him.

"Why do you give me the full story and choice up front yet you more or less suckered Xander into that Saiyan costume?" he asked.

The Saiyan shrugs and folds his arms across his chest.

"I did what needed to be done. It was an opportunity to good to miss, but with also way to many variables. Suckering Xander into it as you say was the least risky option. Giving him knowledge of events about to happen meant messing up those variables. I do not like doing such things, young man, but for 4000 years I have been living a life where I had to make those kinds of life or death decisions. And besides, I did give him a choice. Be it a veiled one."

"In this case a simple yes or no is all it takes, young man. I will not trick you into this. Even if I wanted too. You would notice it anyway and shut me out, leaving a job half finished and things more dangerous. If you decide to do it I can make you a powerful ally for Buffy and Willow. If not, I have to train you the old fashioned way. It will go slow, it will take a long time to reach their level but you will be able to hold your own with a vampire eventually. I will still teach you the techniques which will allow you to keep your werewolf side in check."

Oz nodded relieved. At least he had a choice. The Saiyan went back to Buffy and Xander and gestured Oz to follow.

"OK, boys and girl," Belmovekk clapped, "gather around! Time for a new chapter. Over the past half year I have thought you various Saiyan martial arts styles and techniques. You have learned to use them and increase you chi considerably and to use it in battle. It is time for you guys to take the next step.

"Does this mean I finally get to fly like Xander," Buffy asked hopeful.

"You must learn to walk before you can run, young lady," was Belmovekk's all to familiar reply, causing Buffy to pout, "if it were not for his Saiyan memories Xander would not have learned to fly either. Since none of your adversaries know how to fly it does not matter anyway. Today we are advancing into advanced energy attacks. You see, in the Saiyan style of martial arts the strength of a person usually determines the upper limit of one's attack strength."

"Isn't that obvious?" Oz asked.

"So obvious in fact it rarely occurred to us think otherwise," the Saiyan agreed, "but here on earth, people like Goku's martial artist master Kame Senin thought otherwise. Here they went beyond the strength limit and developed attacks that allow you to pack more punch in your attack then you normally could."

"This could be most helpful," Xander agreed.

"Now Kame Senin developed a technique called the Kamehameha wave that can be extremely powerful," Belmovekk continued, "it has become Goku's signature attack. I must confess I like it myself. It is simple and most elegant. By now most of his fellows have also developed similar attacks. Some of which are even more ingenious. Let us put on our scouters."

Belmovekk went to a cupboard next to the door and handed out a scouter to everyone.

"For the purpose of this exercise I will limit my power to a 1.000," Belmovekk said. The Saiyan concentrated and his chi flame came into being. He cupped his hands together to the right of his head and started to concentrate.

"I thought you would limit yourself to 1.000," Buffy said tapping her scouter," you are now up to 1.500.

"My base is still 1.000, young lady," the Saiyan replied without breaking his concentration, "what I am really doing is concentrating all of my energy into a single place and there let it resonate and increase in strength. This particular attack was created by Vegeta at a very young age and he considered himself very smug for having done it. Release of this attack happens through the usage of a spoken word. In this case, GALLIC, GUN FIRE!"

With that Belmovekk brought forward his hands in front of him and a purple beam shot from them and struck the black training dummy dubbed Darth Vader that stood in one corner of the room. Darth Vader was created by Bulma to survive a rampaging Vegeta at full strength so the 1.500 strong attack exploded with a big bang against its black surface. The true genius was that it could absorb some of the power thrown at it and funnel that power to the gravity gym's power plant. Thus helping to alleviate some of the electricity bill. So as Belmovekk helped to lessen his bill a blastwave sped through the gym and the Saiyan erected a shield between them and the effects of the blast.

"Gallic gun fire?" Buffy snorted, "there is no way I'm going into battle with an attack where I have to say something stupid like that."

"God forbid you have to say Gallic gun fire when you can make all sorts of fashion pointers instead," Xander grinned.

"Hey, some of them actually need fashion pointers," Buffy protested, "they do! Really!"

"I am sure they need them, young lady," Belmovekk smiled.

"What's the point of saying such a sentence," Oz asked, "It seems kinda…., corny?"

"Exactly!" Buffy echoed.

"A good question, young man," the Saiyan said, "The word acts as a catalyst. It is the fulmination of the charging. Much as it does in sorcery interestingly enough. It helps you build up your attack. Part of concentrating for the attack is gathering as much energy as possible, from whatever source available. This particular attack is finely tuned to that particular name. As do the others. If you want you experiment creating your own attack you can say whatever you like. The young lady here for instance could devise an attack saying 'give me a new pair of shoes' if she wants to and seriously kick ass with it.

"Attack pattern Riker 2," Xander grinned, "the Picard maneuver! Mass driver attack!"

"The Wolfman," Oz smiled, "E flat diminished 9!".

"God, I'm suddenly drowning in geek juices," Buffy said looking upwards in mock despair

"I guess saying Gallic Gun Fire suddenly does not sound so bad anymore?" Belmovekk smirked, "So shall we leave the various christenings for another time and get on with the show? "

"Alright, far more useful then the indeed silly named Gallic gun is the Masenko. Where the Gallic gun achieves a force multiplication of 1.5 the Masenko allows you to at least double your normal output."

Belmovekk lifted himself up into the air by a meter and held one open hand in front of the other over his hand and gathered his energy there.

"As you can see I should be at 2.000 by now," he said, "for some reason this attack works slightly better when not on the ground. At least for me it does. It is an elegantly simple attack with a minimum force multiplication of 2. But more is possible. Gohan with an estimated base of 40.000 fought Freeza, who at the time had an estimated base of 2.500.000, and nearly overwhelmed him with the mother of all Masenkos."

"That would be a multiplication factor of 62.5," Xander exclaimed, "how on Earth is that possible?"

"How on Earth can you do that kind of math that quickly and still fail at math in class?" Buffy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe if they asked for more chi related math questions, instead of thos

"I am not sure," Belmovekk said still charging his attack, "his base level seems to be able to rise with his emotions. Whenever someone threatens or harms one of his friends the kid goes berserk and his level skyrockets. For all we know his base level shot up from 40.000 to a million. When he was 5 he fluctuated between 1 and 1300. Being half Saiyan, half human he is not exactly a normal kid. It must make for an interesting mix, Saiyan and human genes. OK, here it comes! MASENKO!"

Belmovekk pushed the attack as it were by throwing his hands from above his head to in front of him. A yellow beam struck Darth Vader. At the same time Belmovekk raised a shield around his pupils to protect them from the inevitable shockwave.

"Quite an attack," Xander said when the dust settled, "it maxed out at 2.100."

"Also an attack that you can use when anger and stress cloud your judgment," the Saiyan said as the touched down again, "most other attacks demand a clear mind and focus."

"Now the next attack, the Kamehameha wave is a little different. Where with the other attacks the word is only uttered during the charging climax and release, with the Kamehameha the word it is integral during the build up. Observe!"

"KA!"

Belmovekk assumed a pose and stretched out his left arm holding the palm of the left hand down.

"ME!"

He now stretched out the right arm underneath the left arm, the hands mirroring each other.

"HA!"

He now withdrew both arms to his right side, the hands cupping each other.

"ME!"

A blue energy sphere started to emerge between the two hands.

"Note that the final syllable acts as both climax and release as with the other attacks," the Saiyan said without breaking concentration.

"HA!"

The Saiyan threw his arms in front of him, as if in releasing a dove. Only this case a dove of in the shape of a light blue beam of death. As with the other attacks Belmovekk erected a shield against the blast effects. Like with the others the effects are deadly, loud and spectacular.

"Groovy," Oz agreed impressed.

"I like the color," Buffy said, "I take first dibs on that move."

"It wasn't that more powerful then the Masenko though," Xander said, "2.100."

"It is a more refined and advanced attack," the Saiyan said panting, "it has greater potential for higher increase. If I go full max and point this attack right at the world I could easily blow up this planet."

"Ungroovy," Oz said.

"There will be no blowing this planet while I'm still around," Buffy said adamantly as she looked at Belmovekk.

"I would not even dream of it," the Saiyan panted, "which is why you need great control with these attacks. They can be controlled and steered to a degree. For now it will not matter that much, but once you guys start to seriously increase in power it would be better to never fire these attacks directly at the Earth. Now, the next one is also worth studying. One of the greatest force multipliers is the Makankosapo. Quite the tongue breaker. Invented by Piccolo specifically to kill Goku as he knew his rival was always a little stronger so he figured his attack had to be even stronger to compensate. It is also a little different from the rest. Where the other attacks are the equivalent of throwing bombs at persons, this is like a piercing shaped charge attack funneling all of the energy at the point of impact. Here, let me demonstrate."

Belmovekk placed the index and middle finger of his right hand on his forehead and started to concentrate. A yellow reddish glow appeared around them.

"This is potentially one of the most devastating attacks I have ever come across because not only does it give you the greatest force multiplication but it also wastes less energy. In normal blasts only 50% at best of the explosive energies hits your target. This one directs everything at the target. The downside is that it takes incredibly long to charge. MAKANKOSAPO!"

Belmovekk pointed his two fingers at Darth Vader and an incredibly powerful beam, with smaller beams circling the mean beam, shot out at the dummy. It was somewhat slower then the other attacks though. Still Xander's scouter put it at 3.620. The explosion was less spectacular as the dummy was made of sterner stuff. But it did explode only towards the dummy, not in every direction.

"You can keep the Kamehameha, Buffster, I'm claiming that one," Xander said impressed.

"Pff, my Kamehameha is prettier," Buffy snorted.

"The Kamehameha belongs to no one and to everyone who can master it," the Saiyan said chiding, "Which means you have to learn it first before you can lay claim to it, young lady."

"Spoilsport," she said sticking her tongue out.

Belmovekk was breathing heavily now.

"Out of shape, B-man," Xander said as he slapped the Saiyan on his back, "been drinking to much lately?"

"My condition is excellent. It's the nature of these attacks," the Saiyan huffed, resting with his hands on his knees, "it is their main drawback. It drains energy far quicker then the Saiyan way of fighting. You can fight against a stronger opponent with these attacks but as long as his attacks do not exceed his max he will not tire as much as you will. Which is why I favor these attacks as last resort, not standard practice."

"Makes sense," Xander agreed. Buffy wasn't so sure, she'd taken quite a liking to the pale blue Kamehameha.

"There are two more powerful attacks, which I have not learned yet," Belmovekk said once he had composed himself, "the first is absolutely lethal, but also the most dangerous of them all, Chi-Kung. Chi-Kung involves more then just flinging chi at your enemy, it fires your very heart and soul. You could die if you use this attack to often. I absolutely forbid you guys to ever use it."

"The other attack is the spirit bomb, which Goku learned from the Lord of Worlds in the afterlife. The spirit bomb is truly devastating. Goku blew a hole into a planet with it. You also do not need a lot of power with it. You draw the power from everything around you. The greater the skill, the greater the area you can draw power from. Imagine the power you could collect if one could tap into the energy of every living thing on the planet. I do not think I will ever get to learn this attack unless I die and can pay the Lord of Worlds a visit in the afterlife. I guess it will give me something to look forward too."

"Now finally, this is a most useful attack, nothing big, certainly not as draining but also a great force multiplier," the Saiyan said and conjured up three watermelons using his other talent. Then he handed them out.

"Everybody, take a melon and hold them above your heads as far as possible."

The Scoobies did as instructed.

"Now if you take a normal energy sphere like this," Belmovekk said and created a 15" diameter sphere, "and then flatten it, you will then find that all the kick will go into the edges. Now if you compress this really, really well until it is wafer thin you will end up with the equivalent of a flying buzz saw. Boys and girl, meet the Kienzan!"

The flattened sphere had by now become a rapid spinning flattened disc. Belmovekk threw his Kienzan disc at Buffy's watermelon and it sliced it cleanly in half, then it flew through Xander's and finally through Oz's. Then it returned to Belmovekk and hovered above him. He touched it in the center and reabsorbed its energy into himself.

"Deceptively simple," the Saiyan smiled, "quite elegant. But it takes quite some practice. If you are going to practice it better do it alone at first. This attack has been known to dismember people who were stronger then the attacker."

"Great for decapitating vampires," Buffy said. Who had visions of sending a Kienzan into a room full of them decapitating the whole lot of them in a single stroke.

Belmovekk wanted to say something but then a large red light started to blink above the door.

"Somebody is at the door," Xander said.

Belmovekk extended his senses to see who was there.

"It is your mother, young lady," he said looking at Buffy.

"My mom?" Buffy exclaimed, "what is she doing here?"

"Probably curious to see what you're doing. Or to check me out," the Saiyan suggested, then he looked at the Scoobies, "you kids continue with the exercises. I will go and talk with her. If she wants to see some practice I will switch the gravity back to normal. That will be your cue to do some normal looking exercises. Try to act surprised! Now go forth and throw some energy at Darth Vader over there. Before this session is over I want you two to be able to do at least something resembling advanced energy attacks. Oz, you continue your katas. If you have any questions ask them."

Leaving the Scoobies to their own devices Belmovekk left the gravity gym to open the front door. It was good foresight indeed that he had ensured that both from the in- and the outside nobody would notice it was anything else but a normal looking dojo. Making sure his training gi was decent and quickly sniffing his armpits Belmovekk opened the front door.

"Mrs. Summers, what a surprise?" he lied doing a good impression of looking surprised, "What brings you to this neighborhood?"

"Good day, Belmovekk," Joyce smiled, "I happened to be in the neighborhood and I thought I'd come by and pay you a visit."

Coincidence indeed, Belmovekk thought slightly suspiciously, but it mattered not. He had nothing to hide. Except maybe a multi-million dollar black technology gravity gym. But other then that, clean as a whistle.

"Well, please come in," he said making an inviting gesture, "can I get you something? I may not make such excellent tea as you do, but I know of this great juice bar and I always keep some in my fridge."

"That would be nice," she said as she entered, "is Buffy here?"

"She is, Mrs. Summers. She is training with Xander and Oz at the moment."

"No need to be so formal again," Joyce smiled, "Just call me Joyce, remember? Could I watch?"

She looked genuinely interested, but Belmovekk decided against it. Better to let the kids practice for a while.

"Maybe later," he said, "I have just given them a new form to practice. Better if they get some uninterrupted practice first. Nothing detracts more in the beginning then spectators. But please, follow me, Joyce, my living quarters are upstairs."

In order to get there they had to pass a long corridor and a very long stair.

"I have never gotten around to asking but what kind of martial arts do you teach, Belmovekk?" Joyce asked while climbing the stairs.

"My own particular brand, Joyce," he replied walking behind her, "I take from various disciplines whatever seems useful and combine them into what I think is a very effective form. I have spent a lifetime of studying them."

"It all seems so violent," Joyce replied.

"On the contrary, Joyce," Belmovekk said defending his profession, "martial arts foremost teaches you self confidence and self discipline. It is more then just fighting. It is a philosophy, a way to become one with the universe. It is not for nothing that most Eastern martial arts traditions on this world were maintained and spread by monks."

"So my daughter isn't a troublemaker but a monk?" Joyce laughed, "now that's a relief."

"Monks live to serve for the common good, Joyce," the Saiyan said deadly serious, "your daughter gives much and asks for little in return. She is quite extraordinary. As are her friends. Otherwise I would never have agreed to teach them."

"Well, that's good to hear," Joyce replied as she entered the living room.

Belmovekk's living room was Spartan, with a couch, a TV/VCR combination, a stereo and a dinner table with some chairs. There was a single bed in the bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen with of course a huge fridge.

"This is quite…., basic," Joyce Summers said as she checked out the place. Besides three photos hanging on the wall there were no visible decorations anywhere. So she was naturally drawn to them, one of Belmovekk and the Scoobies taken in the restaurant in San Francisco, and two others of unknown women, both quite beautiful with black hair.

"I prefer it that way," Belmovekk said as he went to fetch some glasses in his kitchen, "too much stuff weighs you down I always say."

"Why, are you one of these people who like to move around a lot?"

"I have done my share of that, Joyce," Belmovekk said juggling some glasses before putting them on the kitchen table and reaching for his fridge, although I am not planning to move any time soon for a long while."

"Maybe you should," Joyce said still looking at the pictures and thus missing the crystal pyrotechnics, "this is not one of the best parts of town."

"Oh, I do not mind, Joyce. I can take care of myself. This place suits my needs and its mine. And who can boast to having his own dojo in his own house? Here, you must try this," Belmovekk said and gave Joyce a glass of fruit juice. The both sat down on the couch.

"Hmm, this is very good," she agreed after a sip.

"Yeah, it is quite the good stuff," smiled Belmovekk looking at his glass, "it is all fresh and the proprietor makes it right in front of you. Some guy from the Middle East. I am told it is very common there. I always prefer those little places that few people know about. They always give you the best results."

"Oh," Joyce said, "then you must surely know that place that serves those Mediterranean sandwiches on 23rd street."

"I know those," Belmovekk sighed, "they are to die for. Especially the tuna Toscana, I had some yesterday."

"Those are also my favorites," Joyce agreed, "although strangely they seem to be getting very rare lately."

"That would be me my fault, Joyce," Belmovekk said apologetic," Whenever I order, I tend to order big. Martial arts creates a big appetite."

"That would explain Buffy's eating habits lately. She eats for three persons these days and always eyes over my leftovers."

They both laughed.

"Do you watch a lot of TV, mister Belmovekk," Joyce asked.

"No, not really," Belmovekk said shaking his head, "there is not much worth watching anyway. Xander made me get it mostly so he and the girls could bring something along and watch it together. He has been trying to convert me in a science fiction nerd I believe. But I do not mind. It is always nice to spend quality time with good friends and see them having fun. Personally though I am more of a music man. I love listening to music."

"Oh, what kind?" Joyce asked before taking another sip.

"Anything with electric guitar in it," Belmovekk said wistfully, "I just love guitar music. I am thinking of getting one and learn how to play. It is such a beautiful instrument."

"Oh, that's a coincidence, I used to play guitar in college," Joyce said.

'That is indeed a coincidence, Joyce, maybe you could teach me?"

"I was never that good though," Joyce smiles apologetic.

"Still better then me I bet. I cannot play a simple note," Belmovekk sighed.

"I guess I can then," Joyce laughed and then drank some more juice. For a minute they said nothing although it wasn't an awkward silence. Joyce looked again at the pictures.

"So who are they?" she asked.

"Who, Mrs. Summers?"

"Those women in the photograph," Joyce said and pointed.

Belmovekk couldn't help but sigh and look slightly pained. He had created the pictures from memory for sentimentality's sake but back home he also kept similar images. Joyce noticed that this time the silence had gone awkward.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," she said apologetic.

"It's OK, Joyce," the Saiyan said and his pained look disappeared, "If I did not want to talk about them I should not have put those pictures there. The one on the left is my former wife Inari, the one on the right is my sister Mayan.

"They're beautiful," Joyce replied.

"Thank you, Joyce. That they were."

"I knew your wife died but I take it from your reactions that they both died?"

"That they did, Joyce," Belmovekk sighed.

"I can see that you still miss them."

"She was the love of my life," Belmovekk said looking at the photos, "now I know that does not mean much these days to so many people, present company excluded of course, but I was raised the old fashioned way and mating is for life. I guess it just was not meant to be."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Joyce said and put her hand on Belmovekk's leg.

"Some things just are," the Saiyan said obliviously, "and all you can do is accept defeat and move on. The same goes for my sister. Most siblings seem to quarrel all the time. We however were inseparable, me the big brother, she the little sister. And then fate steps in and suddenly you are all that is left."

"I can't imagine how that must feel, it must have been terrible," Joyce said and moved her hand from Belmovekk's leg to his hand.

x

* * *

x

"So Buff," Xander said while they were taking turns blasting the dark lord, "the B-man has been gone for so long with your mother, do you think they are doing the nasty?"

"Eww, Xander," she said disgusted, "bad mental image! Bad mental image! Don't say things like that."

"Well, you could go up and check what they are doing." Xander said grinning.

"You are so enjoying this, aren't you?" Buffy said not very amused

"I could dignify myself by saying no, that I'm above such base and immature humor. But yes, I am," Xander grinned from ear to ear.

"No wonder Willow is always hitting you. I'm so going to kick your ass for that," Buffy said.

"Talk is cheap, Buff," Xander grinned, "why don't you blast it off? You've been shooting enough at the poor Sith Lord here for an hour. How about using something real for a change?"

"So it's a match you want?" Buffy grinned as well, "Oz, give us a countdown!"

The young guitarist ceased doing his kata and shrugged. If they wanted to show off, why not? Could be fun.

"One, two, three, FOUR!"

Buffy and Xander both cupped their hands and then started to fire an energy beam against each other. Both beams met each other halfway in a sphere and only greater power or attrition could now decide the outcome.

Oz was fascinated by the struggle. He was nowhere near their level yet. He was amazed that Xander could keep up with Buffy. Although it seemed that she could pour in more power into hers Xander's beam seemed to be more intricate. It must be the Elite's memories giving him more experience and skill to keep up with Buffy. The possession was clearly a useful gift indeed. He could see the wisdom of Belmovekk's words. Still, the price paid..., then again, what price had Buffy paid for being the Slayer?

In the end neither raw Slayer power vs. Saiyan Elite possession skills would determine the outcome of the contest as suddenly the gravity dropped down from 5 G's back to normal.

"Damn," Xander said, he had been enjoying this. Both his and Buffy's beam dissipated.

"You're lucky, Slayer," he said defiantly.

"What do you mean I'm lucky?" snorted Buffy, "You would have gone down so badly if you weren't saved by the bell."

The door opened and Belmovekk and Joyce Summers appeared, laughing at some joke. Xander couldn't help but do a quick wink towards Buffy who groaned slightly.

"That took some time," Xander said pretending to be surprised, "hey look everybody, it's Buffy's mom, hi there, Joyce!"

"Hi Xander, Oz, Buffy. I happened to be in the neighborhood and thought why not go and see what you are doing," Joyce said, grinning sheepishly.

"Well, this is the place," Buffy said grinning sheepishly herself, she always sucked at on the spot explanations, "Belmo's house of pain."

"Where we do battle and train ourselves in the Force, not the dark side of course," Xander said and continued in a Yoda imitation, "Mmm, yes, bad that is. Strong am I in the Force!"

"Well, you kids by now should have had the chance to do some practice," Belmovekk said folding his arms across his chest, "why not show Joyce some of the stuff you have learned these past weeks."

Buffy nodded and she and Xander faced each other. Oz stood between them like a referee. Him stepping back was the signal to begin. Buffy launched her attack with a fast combination of kicks and punches that Xander all managed to block. They didn't go all out, that would probably have surprised Joyce to much, but the pace was still frantic.

"Is it supposed to be this fast?" she Belmovekk asked, "I may not be an expert on martial arts but doesn't it take a long while to become this proficient?"

"I believe in training for speed, Joyce," the Saiyan replied without taking his eyes from the fight, "in combat speed will allow you to not only hit your opponent before he can react, it also allows you to evade being hit. But mainly I believe that you should dominate your opponent. Keep him on the defensive. And speed is key into that. If your opponent is too busy defending himself he cannot be busy attacking you. A philosophy found mostly in Filipino, Indonesian and Southern Indian martial arts. As for the proficiency, well, I know this master in Indian martial arts who claims he can train somebody to be a killing machine in 30 days. So it does not always have to take a life time."

"I see," Joyce said, fascinated by the fight.

"It does also help that your daughter and Xander are quite talented," Belmovekk continued, "I am thinking, a few more months maybe, then they could enroll in a tournament. They will probably clean house."

"You would think so, Belmovekk?"

"Oh, quite," the Saiyan said proudly, "It be good for your daughter too. Being a champion looks good on a resume and it would give that poor excuse of a human being she has to suffer as a principal less excuses to gripe about. After all, which school does not want to have a champion?"

"Oh, he's smooth," Xander whispered to Buffy. She just smiled and used his temporary distraction to kick him of his feet, flooring Xander with a resounding fall.

"When you have to fight, fight, don't talk," Buffy whispered in Xander's ear.

"Look who's talking," Xander bit back as he rubbed his aching back.

"Winner by floor out," Oz declared.


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty**

 **'Oops..'**

x

x

AN: _This chapter and the direction the story takes stems directly from Belmo twisting my arm again. This really was never in the original concept. Curse that Saiyan muse! Strange how it can happen, I love it none the less. And of course, any excuse to bring in Beldin again!_

x

* * *

x

It was one of those days where everything seemed to go right for a change. There was no imminent crisis, nobody seemed in danger. So riding the mellow for what it was worth Giles was doing as much normal library work as he could do before things would get hectic again. They always did eventually.

"Master Giles, I have need of your advice."

Giles turned around, it was Belmovekk who had entered the library, the door still barely closed. The Saiyan looking very confused, like the proverbial cat who had eaten the canary. Or in his case not so much a cat but more likely a bird of prey. A Saiyan bird of prey that is.

"Ah, Belmovekk, what brings you to my library?" Giles said as he stopped working on his library work.

The Saiyan sat down, opposite him on the great table, looking very uncomfortably. It took him a while to reply. Whatever it was, it was clearly inconveniencing him. So Giles decided to try and break the ice.

"Can I offer you some tea?"

The Saiyan nodded in agreement. A shared love of a good cup of tea, one that preferably not came from one of those infernal vending machines had gone a long way of smoothing the waters between the two men and built bridges. Giles kept a small stove and a kettle in his office so he put some water on. When he came back Belmovekk still hadn't said a word.

"Y-you haven't been, um, drinking again, have you?" Giles asked, slightly concerned by the Saiyan's long silence.

"I wish," Belmovekk sighed, still avoiding Giles' gaze, "I could sure use a stiff drink right now."

"Well, all I can offer is a cup of tea," Giles said nodding towards the kettle.

"That will have to do, Master Giles," Belmovekk sighed dejected, "That will have to do."

It wasn't until Giles served them both a cup of tea that the Saiyan finally started to talk.

"I have come to you on a matter of grave importance, Master Giles," he said, still looking uncomfortable.

"Oh, how serious?" Giles said, all interest. The Saiyan just stared at the table in front of him.

"Oh, for God sakes, spill it out man!" Giles said, now starting to get a little impatient.

The Saiyan frowned at Giles' outburst and for the first time looked him directly in the eye.

"It is potentially life shattering serious, Master Giles," he said gloomy.

"Is it something about Buffy?" the watcher asked suddenly very serious "Is there something wrong with her?"

"Not directly," the Saiyan said, "although it does involve her indirectly."

"Don't tell me you made another deal with Angelus or something?" Giles shuddered in fear, "I'm still having lots of difficulty with your last Faustian agreement."

Giles wasn't lying, even though he could see the logic of the arrangement at times it kept him up at night.

"Nothing of that sorts, Master Giles," the Saiyan said shaking his head, "this does not involve the vampire. Or any other demon for that matter. This more or less, involves me."

"Oh dear," Giles said, fearing the worst now and took off his glasses in order to perform the Giles maneuver, "please tell."

Belmovekk averted his eyes again and stared at the table.

"It would appear that..., ahum..., Joyce..., Buffy's mother..., is with child."

If Giles had been drinking his tea, cliché would have demanded that he'd be spitting out his tea. Now he came damn close to breaking his glasses instead.

"I-I-I see," he said as he put his glasses back on and folded his polishing cloth back in his pocket, "t-this could have p-potential troublesome implications, but w-why does this... Oh dear! Please tell me that you didn't...?"

Belmovekk nodded guiltily. He had indeed been the proverbial cat who had eaten the canary.

"I do not understand it, Master Giles," he said guilty, "Aldur's disciples do not beget children. They are barren."

"Well, I guess they are not that b-b-barren after all," Giles said angry, "for God sakes, man, c-couldn't you at least have used some protection? At least for your own sake! We do have all sorts of nasty things as sexually t-transmitted diseases you know. Good God, I'm n-not having this c-c-conversation with a grown 4000 year old!"

In sheer frustration Giles got up and started to pace and pinch the bridge of his nose. It was indeed too much to expect the quiet spell to have lasted much longer.

"I am not the type to sleep around much lately, Master Giles, Belmovekk continued subdued, "in fact Joyce was the first woman I have been intimate with in two centuries. It was a….., spur of the moment thing."

"All the more reason to use protection, man!" Giles said angry. This caused the Saiyan to look up and stare at Giles.

"A strange world this is that a man and a woman who desire to be intimate need something called protection," Belmovekk said looking up at Giles, "Joyce mentioned it briefly, I am still not sure what it entails."

Giles couldn't look any more awkward then right now. Of all the people he expected to have this kind of conversation….

"I-it's ab-bout...,oh..., I'm not having this conversation, Belmovekk, I'm British!"

"Xander also has mentioned something like that," the Saiyan said reminiscing, "something about being sexually repressed. Yet the one time I was in your country and saw one of your British newspapers it had pictures of scantily dressed naked women in it. Somehow that does not rhyme."

"Of course not. Page 3 is…., oh..., I'm not having this conversation again," Giles said throwing up his hands in desperation. Shaking his head at the foolishness of the situation for a moment, he then took a deep sigh and sat down next to the Saiyan.

"Just explain to me why you thought you were barren!" he asked trying to sound calm again. Obviously shouting at a 4000 year old child wasn't going to solve things.

"I was married once, Master Giles," Belmovekk said facing Giles, "it was a long time ago and no matter how much I tried I could not father my wife with child. And while I am nowadays relatively chaste I have done my days of carousing and wenching during those 4000 years. No offspring has ever come out of it either. In fact the only known case of a sorcerer fathering anything has been Belgarath and his wife Poledra and they were both sorcerers themselves."

"OK, I see why you thought you were barren," Giles nodded and folded his hands together, "now lets use some Sherlock Holmes here and eliminate the impossible. If sorcerers are generally barren, how sure are you if it's yours? Maybe Joyce…."

"She called to tell me, Master Giles," the Saiyan said, "I was the first one since her affair with Ted and I think we can safely rule the robot out. He was advanced, but not that advanced. I see no reason to disbelieve her."

"Oh, dear. How could you have done this?" Giles said burying his head in his hands, seemingly have reverted back to denial from anger again.

"How it usually happens, Master Giles," Belmovekk said, who had gone from denial, bypassed anger and dealing seemingly straight into acceptance, "boy meets girl, both share a moment together and one thing leads to another."

"Well, obviously yes," Giles moaned, his head still buried in his hands, "but how could you, Belmovekk? For heaven's sake, man, she's Buffy's mother!"

"It is not like I planned on it to happen, Master Giles," the Saiyan shrugged, "Joyce is a grown up woman, the head of her household, she can make her own choices. And besides, on planet Vegeta Buffy would be old and wise enough to be an adult anyway."

"Maybe, but we are not on planet Vegeta, man," Giles said, some anger resurfacing "on planet Earth Buffy is still a teenager who has to come to terms with her mother being pregnant from somebody whom she considers a trusted adult. She looks up to you, for god's sake!"

"My mother is pregnant?" a new voice asked.

Giles and Belmovekk turned around. It was Buffy standing in the door opening.

"Oh dear," Giles muttered instinctively reaching for his glasses.

"What is this I hear about my mother being pregnant," she asked again, disbelief still written large on her face.

"Young lady," Belmovekk said as he got up and walked to her, steeling himself for the hardest conversation in his life, "your mother called me today and told me that she had missed her period. That she had done a pregnancy test and that the result is positive."

Buffy was speechless and Giles thanked whatever lucky stars there still were that at least Xander was not present to make a snide remark.

"Why would she tell you?" Buffy eventually said, then it really hit her, "unless…. You're the father?"

"Yes, I am, young lady," Belmovekk nodded.

"But you said you couldn't father anything," Buffy said pointing her finger accusingly and with anger rising, "you told me so!"

The Saiyan cringed, he had indeed told her that.

"I was. I believed so. I do not understand it myself, young lady," Belmovekk said, then he bowed his head in shame, "It would seem I was..., mistaken."

"How could you, she's my mother," Buffy yelled and stormed into the Saiyan, giving him an uppercut that send him flying into Giles' bookshelves, scattering books everywhere and splintering several shelves.

"Please, Buffy, the books.," Giles whimpered as he saw his precious books scattered.

"My mother is pregnant because of this…., this..., this jerk,!" Buffy hissed and pointed at the Saiyan, "And you care about your books?"

"It doesn't have to be the end of the world," Giles replied, "these things happen, Buffy. Some people would be…, quite happy?"

"But it's my mother, Giles!" Buffy exclaimed, like that exclaimed everything, "And he was supposed to be a friend. Friends don't impregnate their friend's mothers. Ew!"

In disgust she turned her backs to the both of them.

"Your mother is also a grown up woman who is perfectly capable of making her own choices, Buffy," Giles said as he got up and held her by the shoulders, "she has her own life to live. Belmovekk has his own life to live as well. I'm your Watcher, it is my job to be of service to you. But I must tell you this, not everything can revolve around you. Not everybody can live their lives to suit your needs. Belmovekk here didn't plan to be your trainer, he did it because he wished to help you. It's a decision that may cost him later on as he has to deal with his other purposes. He deserves better. Your mother deserves better. They didn't mean this to happen. Let them work it out, without complicating things."

Buffy just pulled her shoulders free and sped out of the library. Before she could leave out of the door Belmovekk called to her, still massaging his jaw.

"Young lady, I do not mind you venting your anger out on me. You are right, I should have known better. But do not take it out on your mother. She wanted to tell you this herself. You were not meant to hear this from me. Let her tell you this as she wishes. And blame me instead!"

Buffy said nothing, although she stopped long enough to listen, then left. Giles went to Belmovekk who was still trying to disentangle him from the broken bookshelves.

"I am alright, Master Giles," he said," I can get up myself."

"Of course you are, you fool," Giles yelled angry, "you could probably survive a bloody nuclear attack. It's my books I'm worried about!"

Lucky for Giles none of his books were damaged. At least his special collection that is. Luckily Belmovekk had crashed in the school's English literature section instead. A rarely accessed part of the school library.

"I am really puzzled how this could happen," the Saiyan said while helping Giles collecting the books that were strewn everywhere.

"You are certainly not the only one," Giles replied gruffly.

"At times like these I miss my brethren," Belmovekk sighed, "especially Beldin. The guy may be ugly as sin but he has a mind that out-theorizes anything in the known universe."

"I've been thinking myself," Giles said, "maybe you couldn't father anything on that other world because the people there differ from our world."

"That cannot be it, Master Giles," Belmovekk said as he stopped to think about it, "the people here are completely identical. In fact, it is scary how identical the people are. I have this on very good authority. "

"Those competing Necessities," Giles said stacking books

"Yes. But that aside, the people here behave and act the same as the people on the world where I live. In fact you would be surprised on how many worlds humans live. They are a very widespread species. Especially in this galaxy."

"You mean humans exists on even more worlds then Earth and your world?" Giles said surprised.

"Like flies, Master Giles, like flies," the Saiyan said as he resumed helping the librarian, "I myself have participated in the cleansing of at least 4 worlds inhabited by humans. They were more technologically advanced then Earth though. Had to be otherwise the Goa'uld would not have engaged our services through Freeza in their cleansing in the first place."

That boggled the mind of Giles. Then something hit him.

"Then let's theorize, Belmovekk," he said as he stopped shelving books, "If humans here are identical with humans elsewhere, then what is so different here that it could trigger that unique pregnancy?"

The Saiyan thought that over for a while.

"Well, as far as I know something like the Slayer does not exist on other worlds, Master Giles. But I did not sleep with Buffy. Nor would I ever dream of doing so," the Saiyan quickly added, "I imagine sleeping with the Slayer could theoretically make it happen. If being a sorcerer makes you unique, having an equally unique capability would probably add up again like a double negative. Damn, where is Beldin when you need him!"

 _"Maybe you could,"_ a dry voice said inside Belmovekk's mind.

"Oh, it is you," the Saiyan replied.

"Who are you talking to?" Giles asked.

"Express call from a certain Necessity, Master Giles," Belmovekk replied

"You mean an actual possible future of the universe is talking right to you?" Giles asked wide eyed, "Could I ask it some questions?"

Giles looked so eager it nearly made Belmovekk laugh.

 _"I could patch you right in to Beldin,"_ the dry voice said, _"and if you lay your hand on Rupert here he and you can have the longest distance conference call in history. You'd have talk in your minds though. Do that Saiyan voodoo that you do."_

"Ha ha, very funny," the Saiyan said annoyed.

"What's it saying?" Giles asked.

"For once it is going to actually do us a favor, Master Giles," Belmovekk replied, "and connect us right to Beldin"

"You mean we get to speak to your colleague on another world on the other side of the universe," Giles asked surprised, "it can do that?"

"They could destroy the universe if they wanted too," Belmovekk replied with a wave of his hand, "that is why they fight by proxy, Master Giles. It wants me to put my hand on you so you can join in a long distance telepathic call. We Saiyans have some limited telepathic skills. Through touch we can sometimes communicate mentally with each other."

"Oh dear," Giles said, "like that time you let Buffy into your mind."

"Do not worry, Master Giles," the Saiyan couldn't help but smirk at Giles' reluctance, "it will not hurt one bit. Nor will it be as strange. Just think instead of speak."

Belmovekk laid his hand on Giles' forehead and closed his eyes.

 _"Beldin, can you hear me?"_ he thought.

There followed a series of the most foul language and imagery that made Giles blush. And he had heard some in his punk rock days.

 _"Belmovekk? What in the names of the Gods are you doing screaming in my mind! You nearly gave me a heart attack! Are you back? Crisis over so you can now come back and finally evaporate ol' Burntface? It be nice if I could come home one of these days."_

 _"Still watching Torak, brother?"_ Belmovekk smiled, _"no, I am still on the other side of the universe, on a world called Earth. Fascinating ball of dirt. Did you know there are other Saiyans here?"_

 _"Get out of here!"_ came Beldin's surprised answer, _"I thought you were the last of your kind?"_

 _"So did I. But it would seem that not only have our friends a sense of humor by sending me back not that long after my homeworld got destroyed, it would also seem that a few have survived,"_ the Saiyan thought.

Beldin cackled an ugly laugh.

 _"So I guess you cannot trust them and rely on an evil warlord to do the job properly,"_ he finally replied, _"Maybe you should have done it yourself."_

 _"It is not so bad,"_ Belmovekk objected, _"there are only two of them. One is quite nice, disgustingly noble and tame. Almost Arendish, you know the kind, forever short on wits. The other however is that prince I told you about, Vegeta."_

 _"Vegeta? Then you really must be near the time you originally came from. How interesting. And so like our 'friends'. Their humor never ceases to amaze me."_

The two sorcerers chuckled mentally.

 _"More then you think, dear brother,"_ Belmovekk thought, _"they're the ones who are allowing me to communicate with you over all this distance."_

 _"Wonderful. Let me guess, you need good old uncle Beldin's assistance?"_

 _"You always were a sarcastic hunchback, dear brother,"_ Belmovekk thought, _"clever but sarcastic."_

 _"All part of me charming brogue, brother dearest,"_ Beldin replied, _"so, you need uncle Beldin's help figuring out your evil threat?"_

 _"I think I have that covered for now. Something bad is going to come out in a little more then two years. The reason I am calling is more..., personal. It would seem that I am in sort of a sticky situation."_

" _How sticky?"_ Beldin thought suspiciously.

" _Um, uh, the kind that makes you become..., um..., kinda a father?"_ the Saiyan said, sounding extremely sheepishly.

A loud ugly sounding mental laugh came next that went on for several minutes until Beldin got a grip of himself.

" _This is not funny!"_ Belmovekk thought indignant.

 _"Oh, Belmovekk! Brother dearest! But it is!"_ Beldin chuckled, _"So you knocked a girl up, is that why you are disturbing me?"_

 _"Do not act as if you have anything else to do, dear brother,"_ Belmovekk thought back annoyed, _"all you are doing is looking at the molding body of a comatose God."_

 _"It gives me plenty of time to think,"_ Beldin replied quasi-innocently, _"I'm getting quite some heavy duty philosophizing done."_

 _"You are just bored shitless and do not want to admit it! In reality you are dancing the mental equivalent of the jig, harlequin and polka from relief."_

 _"Alright, it gets a wee bit boring here occasionally,"_ Beldin admitted, _"so why is you knocking up a girl such a problem that you need uncle Beldin's help for?"_

 _"Well, the people here are just as 100% human as the many other worlds I told you about. You remember Inari, right?"_

 _"How could a not? She was a nice girl, be it a bit common. Oh, I get it, that girl is also common?"_

 _"Very common,"_ Belmovekk replied.

Beldin mulled it over for a while.

 _"Sure she's not a sorceress or something else?"_

 _"No."_

 _"A witch?"_

 _"No."_

 _"Female wizard?"_

 _"No,"_ Belmovekk thought with growing impatience, _"look, dear brother, she is just a single mother with a single daughter. The daughter is special though."_

 _"Oh?"_ " Beldin asked again all interest, _"How special?"_

 _"Well, I have met some interesting people here,"_ Belmovekk thought, opening one eye to look at Giles', _"and I have this guy on the line who can tell you everything about it. He is the expert as it were. I humbly bow to his wisdom."_

" _You always were the biggest asskisser,"_ Beldin mentally snorted in disgust, _"well, bring him on then."_

 _"Uh, hello?"_ Giles thought cautiously.

 _"So who might this be?"_ came Beldin's guarded reply.

 _"Uh, my name is Giles, Rupert Giles, good man. I'm a Watcher."_

 _"Funny, so am I at the moment,"_ Beldin replied, _"I watch a molding comatose God. What do you watch?"_

" _A girl to be precise,"_ Giles replied somewhat taken aback. This Beldin, a fellow sorcerer, was nothing like Belmovekk. Although he did finally understand why he had driven Buffy mad during her mindtrip.

" _There are other names for that,"_ Beldin mentally grinned, _"usually not that flattering though."_

" _Beldin, please!"_ came Belmovekk exasperated response.

As Beldin kept quiet Giles proceeded to explain about Slayers and Watchers and the nature of the Slayer.

 _"So Rupert,"_ Beldin thought after some thinking, " _you don't mind if I call you Rupert right?"_

" _N-not at all,"_ Giles replied

" _Good fellow! Let me see if I get this right. Whenever one of these girls dies that Slayer condition jumps over to another. And by sheer accident you even managed to create a second one, right?"_

 _"Yes, that is correct."_

 _"Strange that there is only one when she seems to be a bit outnumbered for the job,"_ Beldin thought, getting somewhat sidetracked in speculation, _"if you guys were utterly ruthless you'd try to recreate the conditions that led to there being two Slayers. You could create yourself an army of Slayers. I'm sure my esteemed and very pragmatic brother must have suggested it at some point."_

 _"Yes, in fact he did,"_ Giles replied, thinking back to a discussion he once had with the Saiyan and opening an eye to give Belmovekk an accusing look. Who of course shrugged 'what?' back.

 _"Anyway,"_ Beldin continued, _"Rupert. Back to business. Is there anything that could determine which girl gets to become Slayer or is it purely at random?"_

Giles thought it over for a while if he should be telling this. Then again, what harm could there be in telling this to somebody he would most likely never hear from or meet again.

 _"The actual choosing happens at random,"_ he thought, _"but there is an element of certainty in it that allows for some predictability. The girl itself has to be a potential."_

 _"What are they?"_ Beldin asked all interest.

 _"Potentials are girls who have the potential to be 'chosen',"_ Giles continued.

 _"Lucky girls,"_ Beldin mentally snorted, _"so they are some subgroup, different from the rest of humanity?"_

 _"Yes, there are ways to identify them,"_ Giles said mentally, _"The Watchers Council keeps track of most of them and assigns Watchers to the most likely canidates in order to train these girls in case they get chosen to become the Slayer."_

 _"And I thought we were a busy club,"_ Beldin thought sarcastically, _"so, what happens to these potentials when they don't get 'chosen'?"_

 _"No potential was ever chosen after becoming an adult. They go on and live normal lives. It is they who keep the Slayer line alive amongst the general population through the maternal line and..,."_ suddenly Giles stopped, _"oh dear."_

 _"Joyce was a former potential,"_ Belmovekk telepathized as he came to the same conclusion, _"she could have been chosen but wasn't and gave birth to Buffy instead!"_

Beldin started cackling his ugly laugh again.

 _"You take one horny Saiyan sorcerer, add one special ex-potential hot mama and suddenly its party time!"_

He may have been the smartest guy he knew but at times like this Belmovekk wished he could strangle Beldin, even across this distance.

 _"I should have known this,"_ Giles thought mentally shaking his head, _"it seems so obvious know."_

 _"All the simple solutions are obvious in hindsight, Rupert,"_ Beldin laughed, _"Oh, I'm so go going to tell this Belgarath. We'll still be making fun of you in a thousand years, Belmovekk, you can count on that."_

" _Why am I not surprised?"_ Belmovekk said and broke the connection amidst renewed cackle of laughter.


	22. Chapter Twenty One

**Chapter Twenty one**

 **'Revelations'**

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AN: _A short chapter. For me that is. Could have been tagged at the end of the previous one but it seemed like a good part to end. So here it is. It heartens me that you guys seem to like the latest twist of this story. Maybe it's a cliché to say it but your reviews mean a lot._

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"He did what?" Willow asked totally surprised. She, Oz, Xander and Buffy were sitting the next day in their favorite sofas in the school's lounge.

"He totally knocked up Buffy's mom," Xander said, only to receive a painful elbow to his midriff from Willow, "auw!"

"Couldn't you at least for once think before you say anything, Xander?" Willow said sternly.

"But it is the truth," Buffy sighed, "God, why is this always happening to me? First Angel, now this."

"Don't see it as a loss, Buff," Xander said, "but more as gaining a new brother or siste.. Auw!"

"Quit it Xander," Willow said again.

"This changes everything," Oz said stoically

"Naturally," Xander said rubbing his midriff, "unless Joyce goes to a clinic, to which as a woman she is perfectly entitled if she's pro-choice. Or not, if she's pro-life. Being pregnant is after all such a casual light hearted affair. Nothing to do with things like morning sickness, raging hormones, mood swings, strange food cravings, painful feet, having to go the toilet every 15 minutes and ending up feeling like having 40 pounds strapped to your stomach."

"You know your business," Oz said impressed.

"Jesse's mother was pregnant a few years ago," Xander replied offhand.

"Oh God!" Buffy sighed again, this was turning into a greater nightmare every hour.

"Oh," Xander added, "and to top it all off, she's a single working mom. Hey at least look at it from the bright side, Buff."

"There is a bright side?" Buffy said, knowing Xander she feared the worst

"You might be gaining a new dad as well," Xander grinned, only to receive another elbow from Willow, "Auw! Will, if you don't stop poking me then I swear to our nice green God I'm going to sit somewhere else!"

"You're not helping," Willow said disapprovingly.

"Oh, God," Buffy sighed burying her head in her hands, "I don't want mister 'Can't keep his Saiyan dick in his Saiyan pants' living in my house!"

"Can't be as bad as the Ted bot," Oz remarked.

"Yeah, Buff," Xander grinned, "at least the B-man isn't going to smack you and your mom around. Outside of the gravity gym that is…. Auw!"

"Xander, again, you're not helping Buffy," Willow said disapproving.

"With what, Will?" Xander replied while rubbing his hurt sides, "Making her feel sorry for herself? I'm all for fighting the big evil and stuff, but isn't this what we are fighting for? So people can live their lives? Start families of their own? Belmovekk never promised that he would live like a monk while in this town. So Buffy is no longer her mother's only child? Big deal! Some people would love to have a brother or a sister. And as fathers go you couldn't do that bad with Belmovekk. He may be an alien but at least he's not as messed up as that other Saiyan, Vegeta. Remember how he stood up for you, Buff? He was always going my prince this and my prince that but as soon as that vegetable head went out of line he was ready to get all medieval on him. He cares, Buffy. My parents stopped caring long ago, Willow's don't care that much either. Oz's family made him a freaking werewolf. Giles' must be 20th generation stuck up Watcher nerds. I shudder to think how messed up Cordelia's parents are but they seem like the type who buy off their lack of love. So he should have used some protection. Fair enough. The same could be said for your mother. You want my advice? Let them work it out. Its already going to be complicated enough, they don't need you to complicate things further."

"Now that was scary," Oz said impressed.

"When you are not clowning around you can be quite….insightful, Xander," Willow said surprised.

"I have my moments, Will," Xander grinned somewhat pleased with himself, "especially when I'm not being poked."

"But it's just so, icky," Buffy said, more to herself then to her friends, "moms should be doing mom stuff, not doing it."

"Buff, if you think that's icky, it compares nothing to me having to hear my parents doing it ever since we moved into our new house when I was little," Xander replied, shuddering at the memory.

"Eww!" Buffy shuddered in sympathetic horror.

"Eww indeed, Buff," Xander agreed, "eww indeed. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and comfort yourself with the thought that when you have children it will be your time to embarrass and gross them out."

"Wise words to live by," Oz agreed.

"Speak of the devil," Buffy snorted and nodded her head towards the hallway where Belmovekk could be seen coming up fast.

"And he has his serious face on," Xander added, "do you want us to go, Buff?"

"It's OK," she said, "please stay, guys."

"Young lady, could I have a talk with you," the Saiyan asked when he finally arrived.

"Hey look, its the Impregnator," Xander grinned before remembering who sat next to him, "Auw! Quit it Will!"

"Go away," Buffy said and looked away, "I'm still mad at you!"

The Saiyan didn't leave and instead hunched down.

"I can't blame you, young lady, nor would I begrudge you your anger. But there are some things that need to be talked about."

"Like what?" Buffy said, still refusing to look at him.

"I am going to see your mother in about half an hour and hear her decision whether or not she will keep the baby," Belmovekk said looking decidedly uncomfortable, "to be honest I would rather face the assembled hordes of Kal Torak and Freeza then your mother at this moment. But what is, is. The point however is that if she decides to keep the baby we should come clean and tell her everything."

That got Buffy's attention and she looked flabbergasted at the Saiyan. In fact it got everybody flabbergasted.

"Coming clean as in telling Joyce that Buffy is the Slayer and stuff?" Willow asked cautiously.

"Yes," Belmovekk nodded.

"No," Buffy objected shaking her head vehemently, "we can't tell my mother. Coming clean is bad, very bad!"

"She has to know at some point, young lady," Belmovekk said, putting his hand on Buffy's leg.

"I know," Buffy replied without much enthusiasm, "but just not now."

"Especially now, young lady," the Saiyan pressed on, "you cannot start a relationship built on lies. They have a nasty habit of coming out. It is not like I am looking forward to it either."

"A relationship," Buffy groaned as she leaned over to bury her face on her knees, "I'm so having Ted flashbacks!"

Willow gave Buffy a heartfelt hug as she saw her friend fall apart.

"Ted was an overlay personality on a malfunctioning robot, "the Saiyan said as he stood up, "I am a living person, young lady."

"Which makes it even worse," she bit back.

"Why on Earth would you even want to tell Buffy's mother everything?" Xander asked then he made quote marks with his fingers, "Can't you be more, 'selective' with the truth instead?"

The Saiyan folded his arms and put on a sterner look.

"Because boys and girls, when that baby is going to be born and comes out with a tail attached there will be much freaking out and even more explaining to do. Let alone the repair bill when that kid sees a full moon," Belmovekk said dead serious, "Try explaining another huge killer ape ripping Sunnydale apart."

"I see your point now," Xander admitted, "although the idea of having another killer ape ripping Sunnydale apart seems pleasantly…., appealing? Even though the last one was big on the ape but low on the ripping stuff apart."

"No," Buffy still objected, be it a bit less vehement, "can't we just think of something else instead? Like cutting it off before she notices it? Or maybe the baby will not have a tail. It could be very well possible that the baby has no tail. Being born with a tail doesn't run in my family you know!"

"It does in mine," the Saiyan countered, "Gohan was also born with a tail. It even grew back when it was removed. Saiyan tails are not that easily removed. Especially at that age."

"Maybe the child will not be so Saiyanny?" Buffy whimpered as she was clutching at straws.

"Well I know of two human-Saiyan hybrids, young lady," Belmovekk said and held up two fingers, "and one is Gohan who is only half your age and already so many times stronger then you it is not even funny. Who probably can give Vegeta a good run for his money. And there is that guy from the future. Who from every description is a Saiyan/Human hybrid who can go Super Saiyan and killed Freeza, supreme warlord of this part of the universe."

"Don't you say a word," Willow said towards Xander, giving him the pointy warning finger of doom.

"I wasn't going to say anything," Xander said defensively and put up his arms like a surrendering Frenchman.

"Yes you were," Willow said sternly, "I know you Xander Harris, better then you do yourself. You have smart ass face written all over you."

Xander looked like he wanted to say something, then he slumped back in his seat with a sour look.

"Next time I'm going to sit with Oz on the other couch," Xander muttered under his breath.

"I hate my life," Buffy said, again burying her face in her hands.

Only Oz seemed unphased and gave the Saiyan a sly look.

"Maybe he is your kid?" he suggested.

The idea caught the Saiyan so by surprise that he had to sat down next to Oz staring blankly ahead for a while

"I have not even begun to contemplate that," Belmovekk said dumbfounded.

"Ah, the joy and utter confusion and obfuscation that is time travel," Xander said reminiscing, "even after seeing Babylon 5's War Without End and dozens of Star Trek episodes they still give me headaches. Speaking of tails, B-man, how on Earth did you get to do the smoochies with Joyce without her noticing your tail?"

"Maybe she was looking more at his other tail," Oz grinned, "or they did it doggy style?"

"Oz!" Willow said horrified with eyes as big as saucers.

"No wonder you sit over there," Xander said at Oz, "It puts you out of reach of Willow's fingers of doom."

"Eww," Buffy whimpered from underneath her hands, "curse you Oz for that bad mental picture!" .

"By the Gods, what do they teach you kids these days?" the Saiyan nodded disapproving.

Xander said nothing but just grinned and air high fived Oz.

"Maybe that kid from the future isn't yours?" Willow suggested suddenly.

"Oh, what makes you think that, young lady?" Belmovekk said all interested.

"You said came from a terrible and dark future," Willow explained, "That he was the only one left still capable of fighting those killer robots. Surely he would like to see his long lost father again. But he never even mentioned you. And when we met that Krillin guy, he did say he was looking at Vegeta a lot."

"Vegeta's kid?" Belmovekk said as he mulled it over for a while, then he shook his head, "no way! Or..., hmm. It sort of does make a perverted kind of sense. Most of us had our money put on Goku having another kid. Of course! It is so obvious in hindsight! I must have had mush for brains!"

"Now there's a surprise," Buffy muttered bitter as she looked up.

"What, Vegeta's going to be a daddy?" Xander said shocked, "Poor kid. And I thought I had it bad."

"But who would be the mother?" Willow said, "Surely not Bulma?"

"Oh, I wouldn't put it past Yamcha to drive her into Vegeta's princely arms," Xander said, "He was a wicked cool guy when we met him but that man is as successful in maintaining relations as a Star Trek nerd is in getting laid."

"Poor us," Oz said, "and we thought we had it bad with vampires and demons and werewolves in our midst. Now we suddenly have three Saiyans putting their genes in our genetic pool. Imagine the poor human race in a few hundred years. I told you this was going to change everything!"

"Holy bejebus," Xander said shell shocked, "forget the monsters, it's the Saiyan brats who are going to be become our downfall!"

"I am sure you guys will learn to adapt," Belmovekk said not getting what the fuss was about, "Gohan is as gentle as a lamb. Besides, Saiyan children are very well behaved, always listening to their elders."

"To crush, kill and destroy," Xander said stretching his arms out like a mummy, "like a good Saiyan! Grrr, argh!"

"So how are you going to tell Joyce?" Willow asked.

"We have agreed to meet in the town center for some coffee," Belmovekk said, "she will tell me her decision and if she wants to keep the child I will take her back to my place. Xander, by the Gods, wipe that smirk of your face or so they help me I will do it for you! Giles will be there to give her the Earth is older then we think speech and I will capture a vampire so Buffy can kill it if need be."

"Kinky," Oz said.

"Are you sure you want to do it like that?" Willow asked concerned.

"Normally I would prefer to do this somewhere where she would feel more comfortable," Belmovekk said, "but some things can only be experienced. And seeing is believing. The gravity gym is the best place for that."

"I would like you all to be there. She deserves to know the full truth and you guys are part of it, do you think you guys can make it in an hour?"

"Snyder could be a problem," Xander said, "if he finds out we've been skipping class he'll go berserk."

"Do not worry about that troll," Belmovekk replied, "I will take care of him if he interferes."

"Please, can I come and watch then," Xander begged, "I'll be extra good afterwards. I'll even do 2000 push ups? Saiyan ones?"

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"Hello Joyce," Belmovekk said and sat down opposite her in the Espresso Pump coffee shop they had agreed upon.

"Hi Belmovekk," Joyce smiled warmly, "glad you could make it."

"Why would I not?" the Saiyan replied, "I just had to come."

"I guess you would," she said, "I took the liberty of ordering some tea for you."

"Thank you, Joyce," Belmovekk said, feeling slightly uncomfortable in this place, "so, how are you feeling?"

"As well as can be expected I suppose," she said slight nervous as well.

"How did Buffy take the news," Belmovekk asked.

"Lots of drama and overreaction," Joyce said, waving around her arms dramatically, "but that was to be expected. Teenagers, it's like they are a different species sometimes!"

"I always found that keeping them busy helps a lot," Belmovekk said stone faced, "run them until they are tired and then run them some more. Then they are too tired to complain and mope. As my instructors used to say, if you can waste breath to complain you can do extra push ups."

"That sounds horrible," Joyce replied while suppressing a giggle, "did you go to a military academy or something?"

Belmovekk raised an eyebrow and tiled his head upwards for a while before looking her in the eyes again.

"You could say that," he answered, "Although it was not as bad as it sounds. Looking back at it it seemed like the best time of my life. Everything seemed so clear back then, ordered and structured."

Joyce looked a bit uncomfortable and looked at her hands on the table.

"Truth be told, Belmovekk, I have contemplated sending Buffy to a military academy," she said hesitantly, "She's driving me nuts with her behavior at times. But then I'd probably miss her and I could never afford it anyway."

"Probably just as well, Joyce," the Saiyan said, "despite them being teenagers I strongly believe children should be with their parents. Although in my case that was only with my father, as my mother died early. And..., I am rambling. Let us get to the matter at hand."

Belmovekk reached out and put his hands and Joyce's hands.

"Yes," Joyce said looking down at the table, "that!"

"Know, Joyce, that I will support whatever decision you make," he said solemnly.

"There are just so many reasons not to continue this pregnancy, Belmovekk," she said, still avoiding his gaze, "we really should have used some protection."

"We cannot go back in time, Joyce," Belmovekk shrugged, "only deal with the now and the future."

"I know. Keeping this child would totally change my life and Buffy's. And since I'm a single working entrepreneur when I stop working it means no income."

"I could never let you go through this alone, Joyce," he said, "I was raised to be honorable above else. If its money you need, just say the word."

"And I couldn't make demands on you either, Belmovekk," she said, finally looking up, "it wouldn't be fair."

"Fair, schmair," Belmovekk huffed, "it would have been a pleasure raising this child with you, Joyce. I had given up on ever having any to begin with."

"I know," Joyce replied, "but we hardly know each other. We only had a moment!"

"Everything begins with a moment, Joyce," Belmovekk said looking deeply in her eyes, "the universe began with a moment. While my people never doubted in love at first sight, we also believed it usually has to grow, be nurtured. Most of our marriages were arranged."

"That sounds awful," Joyce said, not being able to imagine it. Or maybe she did. And had mental images of extremely young girls being married to extremely old men with lots of goats.

"Don't judge a system by its excesses, Joyce," Belmovekk said in defense of his people, " We did not wed people at a young age against their will. It was our custom to help people meet the right people and not just let it all be up to blind chance. Fate sometimes needs a helping hand. You would be introduced to potential mates and if you had..., that 'moment' with one of them then dating would follow, resulting in marriage. Our divorce rate was non-existent."

Belmovekk looked down and sighed.

"I guess it does not matter, you would appear to have decided against keeping this child."

"You sound so disappointed, Belmovekk," Joyce smiled sympathetically, "most men would be happy in your position."

"I am not most men, Joyce," Belmovekk said shaking his head somewhat dejected.

"No you aren't," Joyce smiled again, "and no, against better judgment I have decided not to terminate this pregnancy."

Belmovekk's eyes grew big as saucers and a smile appeared from ear to ear.

"So I guess you do get to play daddy," Joyce continued only to be surprised as the smile went away in a heart beat, "hey, why the sudden sad face? I'd thought you would be happy?"

"Oh, I am happy, Joyce," Belmovekk said, letting go of her hands and leaning back in his chair, "nothing would make me more happy then being a father to this child. It is just that before we continue anything there are certain things you need to know, Joyce. About me, this place, and about your daughter."

"Buffy? What does she have to do with this," Joyce said, then she frowned "is she angry at you? She was extremely upset when she learned I was dating this other guy once. Mind you, he did turn out to be a creep. And she does seem to be fond of you already. Although not right at the moment I guess. But that will change once she gets used to the idea."

"I know all about that other guy, Joyce," the Saiyan quasi snorted, "Buffy is concerned partly because of that, but she is also a child who does not like anyone else coming inside what is essentially a sacred relationship. Being a step parent is hard but getting one may even be tougher. And yes, she will probably come around. The problem is that there are other things playing. Things that I feel you really, really need to know. I must ask you to come with me to my place."

"Again," Joyce chuckled, "we both know what happened there the last time?"

Belmovekk got up and extended his hand.

"I would rather do this at your place, Joyce, where you would feel comfortable. But some things are better shown then explained. And mine is a very good place to show things."

"But what about the tea?" Joyce objected.

"Tea, schmea," Belmovekk shrugged as he stood up, "It is time you learned."

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"God, this is so not happening," Buffy said nervous as she paced in Belmovekk's living room, "how did I ever find myself in this mess!"

"You are the Slayer, cosmic irony and you living on the Hellmouth?" Xander said draped upside down, legs up, on the couch, "Does that answer the question?"

"That's easy for you to say," Buffy bit back, "your mother isn't pregnant of the master of the universe."

She regretted the words immediately.

"That's not fair, Buffy," Willow said, "Xander's parents….."

Yeah, Xander's parents were the scum of the Earth. The one thing besides Jesse's death, so two actually, that were never talked about. How could she forget, Buffy thought, stupid stupid stupid!

"Be glad you get the B-man for a father," Xander said angrily, "at least then yours would be normal. Mine make Judd Nelson's parents from the Breakfast Club look normal. They're more drunk then sober anyway."

"But Belmo also drinks," Buffy said, again regretting saying it immediately.

"I know drunks, Buff," Xander said still angry, "the B-man goes on the occasional fender bender in order to forget all the bad things he did or had to do, Buff. It's a means to an end. Mine drink because they are addicted. It's become an end in itself. Besides, the B-man hasn't been drunk in weeks now."

"I know. I'm sorry I said it, Xander," Buffy said giving Xander her apologetic pout, "are we OK?"

"Your one of my bestest buds, Buff," Xander replied after swallowing a few times, "friends should be able to say everything with each other. I'm angry, but..., yeah, we're OK. You are just stressed."

Everything was right again, between them at least. But Buffy still feared that upcoming talk with her mother.

Then Giles entered in the living room.

"They're on their way," he said, putting his cell phone away.

"If they are coming I guess you do get a little brother or a sister," Xander grinned.

"The universe hates me," Buffy said and started banging her head against a wall.

"Nah Buff, it just loves those Summers women so much that it wants more of them!"

"You're loving every minute of this," she replied back.

"You betcha!"

x

* * *

x

"That went well," Oz said afterwards, as he sat against the wall of the gravity gym, Willow beside him.

"Well, it's not everyday you learn that your daughter is a secret superhero and so is the father of your unborn child," Willow said.

"Don't forget living on something called the Hellmouth," Xander added sitting opposite them across the gravity gym.

"I suppose not," Giles agreed, the only one standing, "I guess that particular bit of information didn't go well with Mrs. Summers.

"And then having Buffy kill a vampire right here in the gym to prove that all the things that go bump in the night do exist," Xander quickly added

"Alright Xander, you've made your point," Giles said somewhat annoyed. Xander's particular brand of humor could be tiring at best, but these days his seemed to be getting worse by the day.

"Yes, it's going to be an interesting night in Casa del Buff alright," Xander said to no one in particular.

"Poor Belmovekk," Willow said sadly

"She'll come around," Oz said confidently as he put his arms around his girlfriend.

"Poor Belmovekk?" Giles snorted suddenly, "Poor us you mean?"

"What do you mean, Giles?" Willow asked.

Giles put on his lecturing face and began.

"Well, a few days ago when we first learned of this pregnancy we tried at first to find out how it could happen. You see, Slayers don't come falling out of the sky. Not every girl can become a Slayer. She has to be a potential. At any given day there are thousands of potentials in the world. The Council keeps track on most of them."

"So let me get this straight," Xander said looking up to Giles, "only a limited number of certain girls can become Slayer. Interesting, but this impacts us because….?"

"It's through these girls that the Slayer line continues in the maternal line, Xander."

"Yeah, and again I say, what?"

"Oh!" Willow said shocked, "I see what you mean, Giles. Poor us indeed!"

"Told you things would change," Oz said as he kissed her on the cheeks.

"Can anyone explain things to those who still need subtitles?" Xander said in despair.

"It's like this, Xan," Willow said, "Buffy is the Slayer, right?"

"Yeah, so far I'm with you," he nodded.

"And the Slayer gene seems to travel through maternal lines."

"Well spotted," Giles complimented.

"Thank you," she said. Xander looked puzzled however.

"There you lose me, Will," he said puzzled.

"It means the genes can only come from the mother, dummy," Willow explained, "never from the father."

"That I ge…, wait a sec," Xander said, eyes getting big, then putting up a finger as he saw the light, "Stop the press! Doesn't that mean that Buffy's mo…."

"She's got the genes," Oz nodded in agreement.

"Research has shown that for some strange reason even while the gene is present in many people," Giles said, "only when the mother is potential does the child become a potential as well. The father doesn't even have to carry the gene himself.

"But that means…," Xander stammered, then he smacked his head, "poor us indeed!"

"Potentially we would have a child with both Slayer and Saiyan genes," Giles sighed.

"The world is doomed," Xander said shaking his head in self denial.

"And it gets worse," Giles said, "there is the matter of the offspring between that other Saiyan and a human woman."

"Goku's kid?" Willow said. To which Giles nodded.

"Belmovekk assures me that that child with its mixed heritage has shown some odd abilities."

"Oh God," Xander said looking upwards to the heaven, in this case the gym's ceiling, "the variable power! The world is doomed!"

"Belmovekk asked me to look into the mother of that child," Giles said hunching down next to Xander, "he thinks that if the mother was a potential that might explain why the child is able to draw onto extra power."

"Tell me it isn't so, G-man," Xander said.

"Unfortunately it is.," Giles replied, giving Xander a small pat on the shoulder for encouragement, "records indicate that Son Chichi was indeed also a potential."

"If I had glasses I'd start polishing them," Willow said.

"Bad," Oz agreed.

"Let's all start praying that this kid will be a boy, boys and girl," Xander said suddenly seeing the wider implications, "cause if a male Saiyan/Human hybrid can occasionally draw upon the power of the Slayer genes, then let our kind green God help us all if this kid is a girl."

"My thoughts exactly," Giles said.


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

**Chapter Twenty two**

 **'Truth and punishment'**

x

x

AN: _Personally I still think this chapter needs work. But then again, art abandoned is art finished. At least I like the parts with Angelus (yes, he's back!). It's probably been a while since I brought in Angelus. Originally this was not the plan. But then Belmo went off and became the impregnator and that had to be dealt first. Again, blame my super Saiyan muse._

x

* * *

x

"So how's your day?" Angelus asked.

"Could have been better," Belmovekk muttered as he sat down opposite the vampire by a table in Willy's bar. The patron came by immediately having such illustrious guests in his establishment.

"Why, Mr. B., Angelus?" he said fawning all over them, "What can I do for your two gents? We have some excellent pigs blood, Angelus. This company I know made a breakthrough in genetics research. They can now breed pigs with blood next to indistinguishable from humans."

"Isn't science amazing?" Angelus grinned nodding to Willy without looking at him, "when I was still human we thought bloodletting was the cure to everything and the sun revolved around the world. Now man has walked on the moon and pigs blood is indistinguishable from humans. That's progress for ya."

"He will have some," Belmovekk smiled causing Angelus' grin to somewhat fade.

"And for you, Mr. B.? I've got a new shipment of that Kragh demon stuff," Willy said giving (what he thought was) a slight wink.

"Another time, Willy, I will have a normal beer instead," Belmovekk said looking slightly uncomfortable, causing Angelus to grin again.

Willy nodded and went.

"Kragh demon liquor," Angelus said looking very amused indeed, "that stuff will knock the socks of anything but a Kragh demon showing off how brave it is. Sounds interesting."

"It does not concern you, vampire," Belmovekk snorted.

"Funny stuff, that Kragh liquor," Angelus continued grinning evilly, "is this in any way related to a rumor of you getting sloshed once and some big apelike creature tearing up the town next?"

"You have way too much free time on your hands, vampire," the Saiyan replied looking even more uncomfortable.

"Well, that's what you get when I don't get to kill anymore," Angelus said bored, "I have absolutely no entertainment left these days."

"Perfect, then you have plenty of time to be on the lookout for nice tidbits for you so you can tell me."

They were interrupted when Willy came by with a tray of drinks.

"Here, gentlemen," he said serving the drinks, "one beer for you and one pigs blood for you. It's all nice and warm."

"Thanks, Willy," the Saiyan said and gave the barkeeper some money. He took a swig and had a slight disappointing look.

"Still fucking close to water, this American beer," he said disparaging.

"American and good beer in the same sentence don't mix," Angelus agreed, "maybe you should try a good Irish ale the next time?"

"Maybe I will. Are you not going to drink it?" Belmovekk asked when Angelus was a bit hesitant to touch his drink, "surely you are more then used to the taste of pigs blood, vampire? Your alter ego drank it all the time. And since you do not get to feed on humans you must drink something to survive? And you do look like you are surviving quite well."

"I just ate," Angelus said, this time himself looking slightly uncomfortable.

"I bet you did," Belmovekk grinned and took a swig from his beer bottle, "you reek of human blood, vampire."

Angelus raised an eyebrow but managed to keep his emotions in check.

"I didn't kill anybody," he replied as casual as possible.

"I did not say you did, vampire," Belmovekk replied, his eyes not leaving Angelus, "I know you have been a very busy boy lately. I hear you have cornered the black market in human blood. Mostly from paid blood donations. Although some of it is from raiding blood banks I hear."

Again Angelus managed to keep a straight face.

"You aren't…, angry?"

The Saiyan shrugged.

"As long as nobody is being hurt against their will you could suck human blood like a vampire whore for all I care. Personally I think it is good that you keep yourself entertained, vampire. It is just…."

Angelus didn't like how Belmovekk let his sentence trail off.

"Just what?" he said.

"Just keep good records of your transactions in case I wish to check on them," Belmovekk said, then took another sip of his beer, "Also some kickback would be nice."

Of all the things he expected the Saiyan to say wanting money had never crossed Angelus' mind.

"You want money?" he said surprised, "What kind of good guy are you?"

"I never said I was a good guy," Belmovekk grinned enjoying his little victory, "just that I fight for the good guys. Besides, being a good guy is not cheap. There is no salary, pension or health plan. And this planet is turning out to be hideously expensive."

Angelus leaned over towards the Saiyan.

"Why don't you join over to the dark side then?" he grinned, "The pay is good, you get to kill whoever you want. Mind you, you do have to be on the look out for ambitious underlings, but if you kill a few of them from time to time it tends to keep them in line. Come on, Buffy told me that you Saiyans were the top killers of the universe. You probably killed more people in a single engagement then I ever could in a lifetime."

"To much indiscriminate killing is bad for the soul," Belmovekk said as he looked away and took another swig from his bottle.

"Like I have one?" Angelus grinned, "Come on, its what we were meant to do. The current situation is..., unnatural. For the both of us. I've seen Vegeta, he's more like me then most of these demons here. That guy is a predator and evil to the bone. He does what he wants when he wants."

"An evil God tried to win me over in vain, vampire," Belmovekk said, looking Angelus right in the eyes again, "what makes you think your words would have any better effect?"

"I don't know," Angelus shrugged, "it was worth a shot."

"Even if I were to give in to my cultural conditioning and natural inclinations we would not even be talking here, vampire," Belmovekk said, "I would have killed you long ago. You vamps feel wrong. Like something bad you have stepped in and just cannot clean off your shoe. Vegeta kills every vampire he comes across, Angelus. Why do you think San Francisco was so devoid of them? He does not care about your fancy stories about good vs. evil. He is only on his own side."

"Many a demon or vampire is only on his own side," Angelus countered.

"So are a lot of humans. Like that fine specimen we have behind the bar," Belmovekk said and pointed with his thumb behind him towards Willy. Who smiled at the illustrious pair and waved in return.

"Well, the smart ones were always the ones who sat on the fence until they knew who was winning," Angelus shrugged, "the Swiss have made a very good living being neutral over other people's misery. They taste way too cheesy though."

"Well, you do not need to go to Switzerland to give me 30% of your profits, vampire," Belmovekk smiled, "you can launder the money closer to home on the Bahamas. Here is the account number by the way."

The Saiyan slipped Angelus a piece of paper which the vampire took and put in one of his pockets after a quick read.

"30%," he huffed indignant, "you are robbing me blind!"

"What are you complaining about, vampire?" Belmovekk said holding up his beer bottle to reading the label, "If I were really interested in squeezing you dry I would have gone for 50%. Maybe even 60%. By the Gods, what do they put into this stuff?"

"Why? You don't even need the money," Angelus asked curious, "you're a regular money spinner yourself. Why do you need the extra cash?"

"Maybe I am..., greedy?" the Saiyan grinned.

"You? Puhlease! If only we were so lucky," Angelus huffed looking the other way, "I'd offer you 80% just to look the other way so I could kill again. Nothing much, just the occasional snack to make life interesting. I'd promise not to go anywhere near Buffy or her lame friends. Speaking of Buffy, how is she? The last time I saw her, her friends had to take her to hospital."

Belmovekk raised an eyebrow.

"Like you would care!"

"Only in an evil, I hate the damn bitch for how she made soul boy feel and I hope she dies in a very slow and agonizingly painful way," Angelus said slightly pissed off folding his arms across his chest, "in an ideal world that is of course."

"You know, Angelus, I think I like you more this way," Belmovekk said and gave the vampire a pat on the back, "you have become refreshingly cynical, dishonest, deceitful and sneaky. I like that in my vampires. But never mistake a liking for a green light. You live at my sufferance, literally and figuratively. Now do you have any interesting information for me?"

Angelus leaned backwards for a moment, then leaned forward until he was close to Belmovekk.

"Spike and Drusilla are both alive," he whispered.

If he had been drinking Belmovekk would have sprayed the room with beer. Luckily for him Angelus had timed his revelation just wrong after the Saiyan had swallowed. Now he just had the Saiyan coughing badly in surprise.

"Oh," he said after composing himself, "I thought we had killed them in that church?"

"Ah well," Angelus shrugged, "you know Spike, he always was slippery. From what I've learned he's crippled though. Sits his days out in a wheelchair."

"Spike's misfortune does not exactly fill me with concern," Belmovekk smiled, then his smile faded, "then again him being alive does. He was a formidable opponent. And Drusilla? Is she also crippled, or still stark raving bonkers like a loon?"

"Drusilla will always be stark raving mad, mea culpa I must confess," Angelus grinned at the memory, "but the ritual of restoration seems to have worked. Also there seems to be some, um, unexpected spillover from the ritual between Dru and me."

"What kind of spillover?" Belmovekk asked weary.

"My sources tell me she has full knowledge of everything my alter ego knew at the time regarding your chi techniques and martial arts."

Belmovekk cursed in his native Saiyan for a while.

"Most unfortunate," he said afterwards, "I must make it my priority to kill the damn bitch. Do you know where they are or what they are up to?"

"Unfortunately, no to the location," Angelus replied, enjoying the effect his revelations had on the Saiyan, "they've gone deep, deep underground and refuse to acknowledge me. It's like they know I'm working for you. Could be her seeing skills. The bitch does have the occasional gift of foresight."

"On the other hand it could be your choice of venue," Angelus said and pointed around him, "this is a public place."

"Her seeing powers concern me more," Belmovekk said, then gestured around him, "as for this place, why keep secret what everybody suspects anyway? After all, what other reason could there be for me to keep you alive? And it is not as if it should really hinder you. Everybody knew Angel was on our side and even he managed to get information."

"Very funny, ha ha," Angelus replied not very amused, "as for what they're doing, she's training her minions. They're preparing something and it will probably be directed at you. The Slayer is old news these days. The smart demons are catching on that you're the real power here on the Hellmouth. If they can take you out, it will be peanuts to take the Slayer out next."

"Not if I can help it," Belmovekk said and finished his beer, "see, if they think I am the boss and let you, mister bad ass master vampire, go unchecked in this town everybody would be really surprised. You have done well, vampire. Find me their hidden lair and you will be on my good side. Now if you excuse me, I have a friend to visit."

"Give my regards to Buffy," Angelus grinned as Belmovekk stood up.

"Don't forget to finish your pigs blood," the Saiyan sneered back.

x

* * *

x

"So how is my favorite young lady doing?"

"Belmo," Buffy said happy as the Saiyan entered her hospital room, "you came! You weren't with the others, I thought you wouldn't come."

"Why would I not visit my favorite girl?" Belmovekk said, hugged Buffy then sat down on her bed.

"You didn't bring me any gifts?" she asked hopeful.

"What would you like, young lady?" the Saiyan asked with a glint in his eyes, "You want anything special to eat?"

"I could so do with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich," Buffy pouted for everything she was worth.

"I am ashamed to say I am not familiar with that particular variety of food," Belmovekk replied slightly puzzled, "If I were you would have it, young lady."

"How can you not know the awesomeness that is extra crunchy peanut butter with extra Jell-O?" Buff asked surprised.

"What can I say, young lady," Belmovekk shrugged defensively, "I was always a bread and cheese man myself."

"Ugh, that is so plain," Buffy said frowning.

"Good food for on the road though," Belmovekk said wistfully, "Can I get you something else?"

"It's OK, Belmo, when you're sick few things taste good anyway," Buffy said and reclined back into her bed.

"So how's the hospital?" the Saiyan asked looking around in her drab hospital room, "doctors and nurses treating you right? Maybe some nice hot young doctors?"

"Well, you know," she sighed, "even here a girl can't escape her destiny. Creepy doctors, strange monsters that nobody but me and some children can see. The usual Sunnydale weirdness."

"Then I would say you are the right girl in the right place, young lady," Belmovekk grinned.

"The sick right girl in the right place," Buffy snorted.

"But still in the right place," Belmovekk smiled, "you know, all that talk of food has made me hungry."

He waved his hands and a plate of bread and cheese appeared on her bed.

"You ARE being ruled by your stomach," Buffy said semi-disgusted, "and what kind of disgusting cheese is that?"

"Real Sendarian red," Belmovekk smiled and took a sniff, " hmmm!"

As he smelled the cheese his face began to sport a beatific smile.

"But it looks red," Buffy said sort of disgusted, "Shouldn't it look yellow?"

"That is why it's called Sendarian red," Belmovekk said and broke of some bread and tore of some cheese, "breakfast, lunch and dinner of champions! There were times I lived off this stuff for weeks. You want some, young lady?"

He held up some for Buffy who had to do her utmost not to throw up. It really gave off a strong smell.

"No thanks," she said with a grimace, "Suddenly I've lost what remained of my appetite."

"Suit yourself! More for me," the Saiyan said and shoved the food in his mouth, "so, why do you think only you and those kids can see that monster?"

"Color me puzzled," Buffy said looking at her window, "if I knew that I wouldn't have Giles hitting the books. Hey! How come you believe me? I had to practically beg Giles and the others to do anything?"

"I am surprised he did not, young lady," Belmovekk said as he tore of more bread and cheese, "maybe he has become too used to this place but nothing surprises me about this place any more."

"I think Giles thinks I am afraid of hospitals and that together with me being sick makes me see things," Buffy said.

"Who comes up with stuff like that?" the Saiyan asked surprised.

"Giles apparently. Psychiatrists usually," Buffy said, "they make you lay down on a couch and tell them about your childhood. And then all your problems turn out to be because your father kicked over your dolls when you were little."

"Amazing, what a world!" Belmovekk said and broke off some more bread and cheese, "Where I am from your father would give you a smack and tell you to get on with it. Until proven otherwise would not it be better to assume that that monster actually exists? Fortune favors the prepared. Need any help?"

"I think we have it covered," Buffy smiled weakly, the smell of the cheese was now really getting to her, "if we need any help blowing up the town we'll call you."

"Is that all that I am?" the Saiyan said in mock indignation, "Some super weapon, to be broken out only in case of emergency."

"You could never be…."

"Buffy…, Belmovekk!"

Buffy's mother had arrived and stood in the entrance to her room.

"Uh, hi mom," Buffy replied not really knowing what to say, "you know, um, our friend here."

Neither said anything for a while.

"Hello Joyce," Belmovekk said to break the awkward silence between them, "how are you doing?"

'Ah well, as well as can be expected being pregnant, having bouts of morning sickness, learning your daughter is a superhero who fights all the nightmares you can imagine and the man who made you pregnant and who you thought was a nice guy turns out to be an alien."

"If it makes you feel any better, at least Belmo isn't an evil robot like Ted was," Buffy interjected.

It earned her disapproving looks from both Belmovekk and her mother.

"OK, major slip up. I can take a hint, I'll just lie here in bed looking sick while you guys have your awkward silence thing," she said reclining back into her bed again.

"You have to forgive my daughter, Joyce said, "sometimes she can be a bit…, flippant."

"Mom!" Buffy protested.

"But then again," Joyce continued on an accusing tone, "I now suspect that you know her probably even better then myself."

"Secrets had to be kept, Joyce," Belmovekk replied and waving his hands to make his food disappear with a small poof, "while the monsters just want to fight her, some of the very humans she protects would prefer to experiment on her. Or use her for other goals. This is not always a happy world."

"That does not make it any easier for me," Joyce countered.

"No I guess it would not," Belmovekk sighed sadly, "Joyce, young lady, I have to go, so I will leave you girls to it. So many things to do, never enough time."

x

* * *

x

Belmovekk's next appointment brought him straight to Sunnydale High. Normally he'd go where he needed to be by air but today his heart wasn't in it and he just walked to school and entered through the main entrance. Along the way he passed Principal Snyder, who didn't know how quickly he could run away after seeing the large Saiyan greet him and say 'good day, Troll'. Belmovekk felt better already afterwards. Ah, always the simple pleasures in life.

"You wanted to see me, Miss Calendar?" Belmovekk said as he entered her computer classroom under more cheerful circumstances this time.

"With compliments of me and my clan," she said and turned around her PC monitor. The Saiyan squinted in order to read the screen.

"Is that the curse?" he asked,

"My clan found the transliteration annals for the ritual of the undead," Jenny replied, "unfortunately, none remained amongst our kind who can translate them."

"Those Nazi's I have heard about?" Belmovekk said looking up.

"Those who knew vanished into the smokestacks of Auschwitz," Jenny said sadly.

The Saiyan shuddered. A most unsavory affair from what he'd read about. Or had seen on the television. Industrialized mass murder was so..., without honor? Even the massacres his people had done allowed their victims at least the dignity of fighting back or meeting their fate standing straight and head on.

"A most regrettable affair," the Saiyan said, "too bad I wasn't around here at the time. But if these texts were unreadable, how did you crack them?"

"A translation program," Jenny said.

"I'm impressed," the Saiyan nodded, "it must have taken some number crunching."

"Two weeks solid," Jenny nodded proudly, "of course, if I had access to some better computers it could have been done in hours. With a top notch defense mainframe even less."

"We must do with what we have, Miss Calendar," Belmovekk said as he again tried to read the spell text, "Still, I am impressed. So now we have it. Can it be made permanent?"

Jenny shook her head.

"No. It's still a copy of the original curse. You'd need a master witch, mage or demon of extraordinary power to make it permanent. We didn't have that kind of power back then, we certainly don't have it right now. And I know of none of such practitioners today."

"Too bad," Belmovekk sighed, "it would have solved so many problems."

"Unless you could chip in," Jenny asked curious, "Aren't you supposed to be a sorcerer of some sorts?"

Jenny looked so hopeful at Belmovekk it pained him to disappoint her.

"I was always the worst of the lot, Miss Calendar," he replied, "I know the basics mostly. But they do not cover fixing a soul to a person. My real talents lie more in the opposite direction."

"Too bad," she sighed disappointed, "I suppose we have to settle for the original curse then."

"It's still quite an accomplishment, Miss Calendar. Damn, it is hard to read though on those abominable computer screens," the Saiyan muttered.

"You sound like Rupert," Jenny said and did an imitation of the Brit, "damn infernal machines!"

"Master Giles is a traditionalist and a technophobe on principle," Belmovekk retorted, "I on the other hand like technology. It's just that I'm used to superior technology."

"If you have difficulty reading you could always wear glasses," Jenny smiled.

"Go wash your mouth, girl," Belmovekk snorted insulted, "no Saiyan has ever needed glasses."

"No Saiyan has probably lived for 4000 years either," she continued, still smiling at the Saiyan as she teased him, "it's only natural, Belmovekk. Reading the old fashioned way does that to the eyes. Let alone for all that time like you did."

"You are mocking me, Jenny," Belmovekk said with mock outrage on his face. He then took out his scouter and put it on, together with a small device.

"Is that a USB flash drive?" Jenny said impressed, "I've read about them, but I've not yet seen one."

"A gift from Bulma," the Saiyan smirked and clicked the USB device into the computer, "Luckily there is at least one person in the world who does know how to make some decent technology."

"What does that do?" Jenny asked curious.

"What ever is on the screen gets now projected on my scouter," Belmovekk replied, "the way it should be. Ah, now I can read it."

The Saiyan relaxed and leaned against the black board as data scrolled over his scouter.

"Wouldn't a pair of glasses work much easier?" Jenny said shaking her head.

"A man has to keep up some sense of style, Miss Calendar," he replied still looking at the data, "scouters and Saiyans go together like librarians and glasses. What? Did I say something wrong?"

Jenny looked slightly pained at the mentioning of librarians. One in particular.

"It's nothing, Belmovekk," she said as she turned around to look outside of her window.

"Women," the Saiyan sighed taking off his scouter, "always sulking saying nothing is wrong. In the name of the Gods, just spill it out, woman!"

"It's nothing, really."

"Now do not make me spank you, Jenny?" Belmovekk said as he walked towards her.

"You wouldn't," she exclaimed looking at the Saiyan.

"Try me," Belmovekk smirked as he folded his arms across his chest.

"It's Rupert," Jenny said, almost crying, "ever since he learned of my mission he's been giving me the cold shoulder. He just refuses to forgive me. Or even have a normal conversation with me."

"Forgiveness sometimes needs to be earned, Miss Calendar," Belmovekk said as he embraced his poor distraught gipsy contact, "but in this case I do not think Master Giles is the one you need to beg forgiveness for."

"Buffy," Jenny replied putting her head on the Saiyan's shoulder.

"It was not even such a big betrayal in hindsight," Belmovekk said gently, "we all keep secrets. But the loss of that vampire hurt her deep. You just remind her of what she has lost. As long as Master Giles knows that he will not add to her pain by making up with you. Even though it hurts him. Give it time, Jenny. I will speak to him."

"But we have the curse now," Jenny said hopeful looking up towards the Saiyan's face, "we can restore Angel again."

"I would rather not," the Saiyan said as he let go and turned away.

"How can you love Buffy and not restore Angel, Belmovekk," Jenny asked both surprised and accusing.

"Because it is more complicated then you think, Miss Calendar," the Saiyan replied, "I must look at the big picture."

"But he's dangerous like this," she protested, "And what about Buffy?"

:"What about her?" he said still evading her gaze, "Suppose we do re-curse Angel. Same curse, same escape clause, same potential for trouble. What kind of life would they have together? They could never have any children, she would grow old while he stays the same. Contrary to popular fiction love does not conquer all. I speak of experience in this matter. No, it is better for all if their relationship ends. Besides, now we have the curse we finally have the means to control Angelus. The bastard is ours now for real. All we have to do if he gets any ideas is to dangle that curse in front of him."

"He's a master vampire, Belmovekk," Jenny replied, "he is not to be under estimated. Besides, Angel was a friend, part of the group. He doesn't deserve to be like this."

"Which is probably the only good argument I can find of re-cursing him myself," Belmovekk said, "I agree, one day, yes, he should be re-cursed, but not now. Not when Drusilla and Spike are alive and up to something. Not when they seem to be so damn good at hiding what they are doing. So far only Angelus seems to come up with information as to what they are doing. I need him right now."

"You're asking me to betray Buffy again, Belmovekk, " Jenny said shaking her head, "I can't do that anymore. I love Rupert too much to put him through that again."

Belmovekk turned around and looked her straight in the eyes.

"I am not telling you, Janna Kalderash, I am ordering you," he said sternly, "your uncle made you subservient to me. I did not want that kind of power but now I am using that authority. Buffy must not know of this curse. Not now. Maybe not ever!"

"I won't lie anymore, Belmovekk," she said resolutely. The Saiyan just looked at her stone faced.

"You will not have to, Jenny," he said, "Master Giles knows. He and I are in agreement on this. So you can leave the lying to me. When you have murdered as many as I have and committed as many sins, what is one more lie in the big picture?"

"That is a very hard thing to say, Belmovekk," Jenny said shocked.

"Well, I am sorry if that hurts your feelings, Jenny. It was not my intention."

"No, I mean hard on yourself," she said putting her hand on his shoulder, "it's like you see yourself as some kind of monster."

"I am a monster, Miss Calendar," he said as he stepped back to break the physical contact, "of all of you only Buffy and Xander have any idea what I have done. But there is a difference between knowing something and really knowing something. I have done terrible things. Monstrous things. Things for which there can be no atonement. I could never make that right again. But if I am to be a monster then so be it. The least I can do for you guys is make the very hard painful decisions. Do the monstrous things, so you guys do not have to."

Not knowing what to say Jenny took a floppy disc and copied the curse onto it and gave it to Belmovekk.

"Here's your copy. Keep it in a safe place, Golden One," she said in a mournful voice.

x

* * *

x

Another time, another place.

Amidst the inner works of Sunnydale's hospital, the tubes and pipes that keep the building alive, two persons were busy.

"Amazing," Belmovekk said as he examined the remains of the invisible demon identified as a Kindestod, "even in death you still cannot see it. All you can do is feel it."

"You should have seen Buffy fight it," Xander said, "she being knocked around by something invisible scores highly on my freakometer. Gave me severe flashbacks to the rape scene from The Entity."

"One of your weird movies?" Belmovekk asked absentminded.

"If you want to see it, there's always next Friday," Xander suggested hopeful.

"Maybe some other time," the Saiyan replied and lifted the demon carcass of the ground, "you know I always fall asleep anyway."

"At least you make it halfway these days," Xander smiled.

"Just what I always wanted," the Saiyan sighed as they walked towards the exit.

"Hey, you're not that bad company wise," Xander said following him, "at least you aren't always screaming look behind you, stupid bitch, at the screen, like Buffy always does. You just..., snore a lot."

"We all have our weaknesses" Belmovekk chuckled, then his face turned sour, "I always hate touching dead bodies. Especially these demons. At least he is not heavy, this guy cannot have been much of a chi fighter."

"For which I'm profoundly grateful," Xander replied, "cause Buffy was severely drained from that disease."

"Disease tends to do that to the body," the Saiyan agreed, "amazing though that even Slayers are susceptible to mere common diseases. If you ask me that is a major design flaw on a world which has so many of them."

"They must have lost tons of Slayers in the dark ages," Xander agreed.

Belmovekk looked back funny.

"Never mind," Xander said shaking his head, then he muttered something under his breath, "geez, and I thought I was bad at history."

The Saiyan shrugged.

"Anyway, young man, you were sure this did not show up on the scouter?" he asked, "even with the accursed Hellmouths interference something should have shown up. This demon feels like he is at least of average demon strength."

"Nothing, nada, zippo on the scouter," Xander said again shaking his head, "this guy is like a stealth fighter on the scouter and the Predator in real life rolled into one ugly package. Otherwise we would have believed Buffy just a bit earlier."

"I think I will pay the good folk at Capsule Corp. another visit," Belmovekk said, "see if they can learn something about this guy's cloaking ability. Besides the bugger probably not being the only one it might come in handy one day. At the very least maybe they can find a way so our scouters can see pas this kind of stealth."

"Makes sense," Xander agreed.

With the Saiyan carrying the Kindestod they left the maintenance corridors and made for the hospital's exit. Occasionally they drew a weird look as Belmovekk passed by looking like he carried something invisible. But the Sunnydale effect quickly made them shrug and move on.

"Xander my friend," Belmovekk suddenly said when they were outside, "how does Buffy feel if Master Giles were to see Miss Calendar again?"

"Talk about a change of subject, B-man," Xander asked surprised, "why the question?"

"I was talking to her a few days ago and she said she still has feelings for him. And I know he still has feelings for her. But…."

"Buffy, yeah," Xander nodded, "the G-man's holding back for her."

"If you could find out how she would feel I could approach the subject with her," the Saiyan asked, "to many people here are moping around. I think Master Giles deserves a little happiness. Do you not agree?"

"Speak for yourself, B-man, I fully intend to add Jenny to my ever growing harem," Xander grinned.

Belmovekk couldn't help but smile at the young mans audacity.

"Harems require lots of attention, young man," he said, "most men find one woman more they can handle. Let alone several. It is not for nothing that most men with a harem have a full time job managing it. Are you up the challenge?"

"Oh, I'm twice the man everybody thinks I am," Xander said with a big smile plastered on his face.

"Even after your recent love spell adventure?" Belmovekk said, "Having half the population of Sunnydale chase after you did not cure you of your delusions of grandeur? Or did it wet your appetite?"

The mentioning of his failed love spell adventure quickly deflated Xander's ego.

"You make a good point," Xander coughed looking slightly embarrassed, "maybe it would be better to share the wealth. I'll talk to Buffy."

"Smart move, kid," Belmovekk said giving Xander a pat on the back, "oh, and keep your agenda free this evening, young man. And try to get a hold on Oz as well. It is time the young man learns what has to be done here."

"Getting hold of Oz may prove to be a bit difficult," Xander said, "he and his band are doing some gigs out of town at the moment. It's their first tour. So it will just have to be you and me. What are you planning?"

"I am declaring edict violation," the Saiyan said as he pulled out a pair of sunglasses with his free hand, "at least 3 to 4 kids were killed by this bastard. It may even be more. The edict said, humans die, many vamps and demons die. Time to water the tree of Sunnydale's safety with the blood of demons. The occasional reminder of who is boss is good for their lack of souls."

"I can so dig that mission statement, B-men," Xander grinned, "gives me a chance to test some of my new moves. Could we, um, accidentally, um, kill Angelus as well? Have him burned to a tender crisp while we accidentally by pure coincidence break and enter his place looking for some other demon and Kamehameha him to Hell?"

Xander looked so eager Belmovekk couldn't help but smile.

"Buffy would be very angry with us if that were to happen, young man," he sighed.

"Buffy doesn't necessarily need to know," Xander winked, "we could always say he, um, left town suddenly."

"Tempting," Belmovekk said and he meant it, "but it could come back later to haunt us. Besides, Angelus is proving to be rather useful at the moment. He was my source who came up with the news that Spike and Drusilla are still alive. I think he is probably the only one who can find them right now. But why the sudden desire to kill him?"

"Overbite came by a few nights ago and tried to see Buffy while she was sick and sleeping," Xander said somewhat disappointed, "we had a big stare down and then he left. I promised him to be there when he would go down. I plan to keep that promise."

"Interesting. I will look into it," the Saiyan said as he mulled it over, "he was probably just trying to rattle some chains. Still, maybe he does deserve a little pain just to remind him who is boss here. Remember tonight, scouter, clothes that wash easily, demons, vampires, kill!"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Xander grinned, "so, how many are we going to kill?"

"I was thinking at least 20, maybe more if we encounter a lot of them. Must also keep the numbers in check. How do I look," Belmovekk asked as he put on his sunglasses.

"Say I'll be back in an Austrian accent," Xander smiled.

"I will be back?" Belmovekk said having no clue what an Austrian accent was.

"It needs work," Xander said critically.

x

* * *

x

"Here you go, honey. Peanut butter and jelly, without the crust, just the way you like it."

Joyce smiled as she put down a tray with food and a glass on Buffy's nightstand, much to Buffy's obvious delight.

"And the juice?" Buffy asked pouting, milking her mother's attention for what it was worth.

"Two parts orange, one part grapefruit," Joyce replied.

"That's my drink," Buffy smiled.

"I measured it exactly," Joyce replied and got up to leave.

"Oh, mom?"

"Mm-hm?"

"I wanted crunchy peanut butter," Buffy said as she held up her plate.

"Oh, sorry," Joyce said and returned to pickup the plate.

"A-and I said extra jelly."

"Anything to help my daughter get well," Joyce smiled and tried to leave again.

"Oh, and while you're up, could I get a refill," Willow asked and held up her glass, "it's just, I'm so comfortable."

Both she and Xander lay next to Buffy, Xander on the bed, she on a comfortable pair of cushions next to it.

"Of course," Joyce smiled and took the glass and tried to leave again.

"Thanks," Willow smiled.

"Oh, oh, oh," Xander asked and held up an empty bag, "and another bag of cheesy chips."

"Uh, you ate the last one," Joyce said.

"No, " Xander replied without blinking, "there's another bag hidden behind the raisins."

"I'm on it," Joyce sighed and finally managed to leave Buffy's room.

"Your mom's tryin' to Bogart the cheesy chips, " Xander said to Buffy, "what's

that all about?"

Both Buffy and Willow shrugged.

Joyce came back into the room holding an envelope.

"Oh, Buffy" Joyce said, "here. Um, this came in the mail."

"It's from Ryan," Buffy said smiling

"The boy from the hospital? The one with the monster?"

Being in the know of her daughters real calling didn't do wonders for her nerves. Especially when it involved invisible monsters in the hospital.

Buffy nodded and opened the envelope.

"Oh, he drew you a picture," Joyce smiled until she saw what the picture is. It's a picture of Buffy standing over the Kindestod, her foot up on its chest, the monster's neck split open and blood gushing out.

"How..., nice," Joyce said grossed out, "did it really look like that?"

"And felt ten times as gross cause you can't see it," Xander said.

"What happened to it by the way?" Willow asked.

"Belmovekk took it to Capsule Corp," Xander said casually, "see if they could find out why our scouters couldn't detect it."

"How is he? Joyce asked suddenly, to everyone's surprise.

"As well as can be expected," Xander replied, "keeping himself busy, keeping an eye on things."

"Why the sudden interest, Mum," Buffy asked looking at her mother, "you didn't even talk about it when you met him at the hospital."

"Are you guys getting back together again," Willow smiled, "cause that would be so cool."

"You're not helping here, Will," Xander said and threw the empty chips bag to her.

"Hey," Buffy yelled, "crumbs falling on the bed here!"

"Well, let's just say that the jury is still out on that one," Joyce replied.

"But eleven to one in favor of guilty or the other way around," Xander asked.

"More like five to seven, but I'm not going to tell you which way, young man," Joyce replied and made for a hasty retreat.

"Must be in favor," Xander grinned towards Buffy, "she's starting to sound like him. Speaking of the B-man, I can't stay, Buff, we have to kill some vamps and demons tonight."

"Something up," she asked.

"Well, that Kindestod did kill several kids, Buff, that's an edict violation."

"But how could they have known?" Buffy asked, "Even I could only see it because I was sick?"

"That is not important, Buff," Xander shrugged, "People died, so now several if them must die. For all we know some of these demons can detect a Kindestod. The whole point of the edict was that they kept an eye on each other."

"Well, good hunting then I suppose," Buffy said, "are you going right away?"

"Nah," Xander grinned, "I'm waiting for your mom to bring that last bag of chips first."

x

* * *

x

"Do you know where Spike and Drusilla are?" somebody asked a vampire pinned to a wall by the strongest hands he had ever come across.

"Uh, no," the vampire replied, immediately fearing he might just have given the wrong answer.

"Too bad," Belmovekk replied and nodded to Xander who grinned evilly and stretched out his arm charging an attack.

"Look..., wait...," the vampire said desperately, "no, I didn't do any..aaaahhhh!"

Xander pushed his hand with the charged energy attack against the vampire's chest and sort of pushed it inside the vamp. This causes a more silent detonation and the vampire quickly crumbles to dust.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," Xander said, the next part nearly inaudible, "one more for you, Jesse."

"Good control," the Saiyan nodded approvingly, then he put on a more stern face, "you like this way too much, young man,"

"What?" Xander said looking up, "You get to rip apart Tarakans but when I enjoy some quality kill you go all nanny on me?"

"That's different, young man, it is about fighting the good fight, a job well done."

"Bull," Xander yelled and pointed his finger at the Saiyan, "Buffy told me, you were grinning from ear to ear when you were doing major sliceage with that Tarakan."

"Vengeance is a stern mistress, young man," Belmovekk said sadly, "she is never satisfied, gives little and ever demands more. Go down that route and you may find it a one way street."

"Nothing wrong with a little on the job satisfaction, B-man," Xander said as he swept some of the vampire's dust away with his feet, "as long as it doesn't interfere with the big picture. And I know the big picture. Now that made seven, we're wasting time. I think we should split up."

"I agree," Belmovekk said looking around, "we can do more damage that way. We kill six each then meet at Willy's for the last ones and a drink. Don't forget to ask them each time."

"I know," nodded Xander, "tell me where captain Peroxide and his psycho bitch are hiding. If they tell, they get to live, if not, boom."

"See you at Willy's, young man. Try not to enjoy it to much."

x

* * *

x

Later that evening, although not much, demon number 20, a vampire, died horribly inside Willy's bar. Or maybe he didn't as Xander merely ripped its arms off, then impaled it with its left arm and then shoved its right arm down the vampire's throat.

"So what do you think?" he said to Belmovekk guarding the door so none of Willy's customers could leave.

"Very creative," the Saiyan said nodding appreciatively, "although I am not sure what you had in mind?"

"I was always curious to see if you could make two hands meet for a handshake somewhere in the middle," Xander said as he stood back to admire his handiwork.

"Well now you know. It can," the Saiyan said as he examined Xander's handiwork critically, "your biology teacher will be proud. Are you going to kill it?"

"Nah," Xander said and went back to the vampire and put the struggling vamp on a hook on the wall, "I think I'm going to admire my work some more for a while."

"Have it your way," the Saiyan replied, then turned to the various demons still left shaking inside the establishment.

"By order of the Slayer punishment had to be dealt out on the grounds of edict violation," he said out aloud, "humans have been killed."

"But how, Mr. B.?" Willy said cowering behind his bar, "I haven't heard of any attacks?

"Tell that to the three kids killed at the hospital by that Kindestod demon," Xander snorted.

"A Kindestod," Willy said surprised, "no way! They don't exist!"

"I have one vamp high fiving himself from the inside who disagrees with that," Xander said pointing to the luckless vampire on the wall.

"Damn," Willy muttered dejected as he shook his head, "why did I have to open a demon bar on the fucking Hellmouth! Why didn't I listen to my mother?"

"Anyway," Belmovekk said and patted Willy on the shoulder, "cheer up, Willy! Punishment has been doled out. Everybody can relax again. We are now all a bit sadder and wiser for the experience. But new accrued wisdom is always a good thing. Now killing is thirsty work so my friend and I are going to sit there and have something to drink."

"Uh, that special stuff, Mr. B," Willy asked, "or a beer?"

"A beer will be fine," Belmovekk said, then he remembered something, "do you have anything Irish?"

"I have some Guinness," Willy said.

"I'll have one to," Xander said.

"Care to show some ID, kid?" Willy said deadly serious.

Belmovekk could hardly contain his laughter as Xander's face went through surprise, shock and outrage all at once.

"I can't believe you're asking me," Xander muttered and pointed to the vampire hanging and bleeding on the wall, "there, does that count as ID?"

"Look kid, it's nothing personal but If they find out I'm serving minors I could lose my license," Willy said pointing at his license hanging on the wall behind him.

"As opposed to being a demon serving sleaze bag?" Xander exploded.

Later Belmovekk would always tease Xander by telling that he could see smoke come from Xander's ears.

"The law said nothing about demons, kid," Willy said as Xander held him by his shirt, "don't blame me. If you don't like it vote the bastards out of office once you're 18."

"I will have a second beer then," Belmovekk said before Xander could tear off the barkeeper's head, "that way nobody can say you were serving minors."

"But."

"Not a further word, Willy," Belmovekk said and pointed to the still struggling vampire, then held up two fingers. He and Xander went to an empty table. Most demons however couldn't wait to get out and be somewhere else. A considerable number however remained, diehard Sunnydale regulars taking things in their stride. Willy came by quickly with two bottles of Guinness beer.

"Look here, Mr. B., two bottles of beer, all for your self," he said and left as quickly as he could.

"Disgusting worm," Xander said as he took a bottle when Willy had returned to his bar, "as if the cops give anything about what goes on in this town. They can't even be bothered to come up with new excuses. It's always gangs on PCP!"

"I used to think he bribes them," Belmovekk said as he pondered Xander's words, "nowadays I am not so sure anymore. Have you not noticed how chummy principal Snyder always gets with the cops whenever something happens on school? He always has a chat with the lead detective first as if to agree on the right cover story. No police force is this inept, young man. I starting to think they know perfectly well what is going on in this town. They might even have case files on all of us."

"Aren't you reading too much into this," Xander replied as he found that hard to believe, "these guys make the Keystone cops look like an efficient operation. The long arm and short wit of the law?"

Belmovekk shrugged.

"There are three options, young man. Option A. they are grossly incompetent and lazy. Option B. they know what is going on but choose not to do anything because they are scared shitless. Or lazy of course. And there is option 3. Which worries me the most."

"Which is," Xander asked curious.

"They know everything but do not do anything because someone is pulling their strings," the Saiyan said after taking another swig, "you know, he was right. This beer is much better."

"Man, You are paranoid," Xander said as he shakes his head, "I'm getting cigarette smoking man X-Files flashbacks here. Stupid series."

"Paranoid people do not get nasty surprises," the Saiyan replied, "they just get their world view validated. When we have dealt with Spike and Drusilla I am going to turn my attention towards this police force."

"Suit yourself," Xander said taking a swig, "hey, Joyce asked for you earlier today."

"She did?" the Saiyan said suddenly smiling, "What did she say?"

"Well it wasn't in the sense of hey, where is that big hunk of Saiyan hottieness, but more a chaste form of how you were doing. But still, progress, right?" Xander smiled.

"Indeed," Belmovekk said and took another swig from his bottle.

"Hey, we're doing the best we can, B-man," Xander said encouragingly, "dropping subtle hints. And she still seems to like you. But she needs time. And surely an immortal sorcerer like yourself has tons of it, right?"

"I suppose," Belmovekk replied, "thanks for telling me this, young man."

"No problem, B-man," Xander grinned, "Wanna catch a movie and fall asleep? I have this illegal copy of the Matrix? If you can ignore the Chinese subs and the occasional head walking in the way it makes for a…."

Xander suddenly got up from his chair, ran to the door and grabbed Willy's latest patron to enter the bar by his shirt.

"Hello, Angelus," Xander said as he slammed the vampire against the wall, "how delightful to see you. You know, I was told that we could only kill 20 of you tonight. But then again, that guy hasn't died yet. So technically that still leaves us at 19. Care to fulfill my quota?"

"Hello, Harris," Angelus grinned, "still not received your blowjob from Buffy? Oh, that's right. She doesn't think of you in that way."

Unable to take Angelus' sneering face Xander punched Angelus hard in the stomach and the vampire folded double and fell to the floor.

"You've been eating your vitamins, kid," the vampire said as he held his stomach, "too bad she's still dreaming of poor ol' me."

Xander snarled and kicked Angelus viciously in the stomach again. Followed by a kick to the vampire's family jewels. This time Angelus groaned from the pain.

"Oh, did I hurt you, Overbite," Xander smirked viciously, "here let me help you!"

Xander started kicking Angelus some more violently.

"I..., may..., not..., get..., to..., kill..., you..., but..., nobody..., said..., anything..., about..., not..., hurting..., you!" Xander yelled with every kick until Belmovekk stepped in.

"I would hate to interrupt your fun, young man," the Saiyan said, "but unfortunately wallflower guy over there does count as 20."

"I had my fun," Xander snorted and stepped back. Next the Saiyan grabbed Angelus and violently dragged him along and threw him into a seat next to their table.

"So what brings you here, vampire," he said as he sat down beside him.

"I heard you were tearing up the town in reprisal," Angelus said, still wincing in pain. Much too Xander's enjoyment.

"A Kindestod demon killed some kids at the hospital," Belmovekk replied.

"A Kindestod?" Angelus said, then he grinned, "I met one long ago. Nasty fellows, a bit weak though. They do have a cool cloaking system though."

"Why does that not surprise me, Overbite," Xander said still angry as he also sat down.

"Finish your beer, pup and leave the talking to the grown ups," Angelus said.

"Why you little..," Xander yelled and was about to tear Angelus a new one when Belmovekk held him back.

"You, chill," Belmovekk said to Xander, "he is riling you up and doing a pretty good job at it. And you, shut up!"

"What, I can't even rile up Harris here any more?" Angelus pouted, "that's the only fun I'm left with."

"Find something else instead," the Saiyan said, "pester Willy or something."

"Pestering Willy?" Angelus said as he eyed up the bar patron, "Nah, he's no fun. He has no backbone."

"Or you could find out where Spike and Drusilla are," Belmovekk suggested as he finished his beer.

"Hey, I'm in pain here," Angelus interjected, "I'm doing my best, but its hard if Harris tears me an new one, space ape!"

"Do better," the Saiyan replied utterly indifferent to the plight of the vampire.

Angelus huffed for a while. Then he saw the impaled vampire still writhing on the wall.

"Very creative," he said admiringly, "your work?"

"His," Belmovekk said and nodded towards Xander.

"Way to go, Harris," Angelus said grinning towards Xander, "didn't think you had it in you!"

"I'm just full of surprises," Xander said inimical.

"The old inside handshake," Angelus nodded, "Haven't seen that since Spike was a young pup. Then again, his victims didn't tend to survive this long."

"If works better if you use vampires," Xander said casually, "they don't die while you're doing it."

"I guess so," Angelus nodded.

"Why were you at the hospital, vampire?" Belmovekk asked.

"Just visiting," Angelus said looking the other way.

"You were trying to get to Buffy," Xander said accusingly.

"Oh puhlease, Harris," Angelus said looking Xander right in the eye, "not everything turns around you and your wet Slayer fantasy. Although it was fun riling you up. But I happen to do a lot of business at the hospital."

"So that is where you get your blood for your operation?" Belmovekk said.

"A vampire has to do something for a living," Angelus shrugged, "and I do happen to have drunk more then enough rat and pigs blood when I was brood boy to last me a lifetime."

"Which I hope will be very short indeed," Xander muttered.

"You're lucky you have the Slayer and the big guy here to back you up, Harris," Angelus said menacingly, "otherwise I would have drained you faster then it takes you to say help. If it weren't for that pesky re-souling curse I'd..."

WHACK!

Belmovekk had hit Angelus hard and knocked him out of his chair.

"Hold your tongue, vampire, before I rip it out," he hissed.

Angelus however looked at Xander and saw the look of surprise on the boy's face.

"Oops? Did I say something I shouldn't have," Angelus smirked, putting his right hand to his mouth, pinky finger at his lips, "sometimes I do that when…., AAH!"

Belmovekk had kicked Angelus violently in the family jewels. He then bent forever until his face was close to that of Angelus.

"Be glad that Buffy still cannot bear to see you dead, vampire," he hissed and fired an energy attack at the vampire writhing on the wall. It blew him apart and dust blew through Willy's bar. Willy groaned as dust covered his par and some of the remaining patrons who casually started dusting themselves of.

"Otherwise that would have been you," he said and left, throwing some money on the bar.

"Keep the change," he yelled at Willy without looking.

x

* * *

x

"Yo, B-man, what was Overbite talking about?" Xander yelled as he ran after Belmovekk outside Willy's bar.

"Nothing, Xander," Belmovekk said without looking back, "the vampire was talking thrash, playing mind games with us."

"I don't think so, B-man," Xander said as he grabbed the Saiyan by the shoulder and halted him, "you don't have a nothing face, you have guilty face. Otherwise you would not have gone Wild Bunch on his undead ass."

"Some things are better left unsaid, young man, Belmovekk said, still not looking back, "leave it there."

"He said something about if it weren't for that re-souling curse…. Holy bejebus! You _have_ that bloody curse!"

Xander was absolutely stunned at the sudden realization.

"Please, Xander, leave it," Belmovekk said desperately.

"You told us you that the Gypsy's could no longer re-soul Angel," Xander said, pointing his finger at the Saiyan, "you lied to us!"

"I have only had it recently," Belmovekk said as he turned around, "Jenny has it. Something had to be done to keep Angelus in check since I cannot kill him. You have met him, he can be most..., unstable. He knows we cannot track him deep underground. He could strike at us one at a time and not give a hoot about the edict. I could not let that happen. He could hide from us pursuing him, but never from the curse."

Xander could see the logic in that. But there was also a different logic.

"Look, B-men," he said looking the Saiyan in the eyes, "I totally agree with you 100% about that but if the vamp is that dangerous it would be better to re-soul him. Angel may have been an annoying cradle robbin' assclown but at least as long as he kept his paws from Buffy he was harm…. "

Xander clasped his mouth in shock.

"Oh shit," he exclaimed, "you don't trust Buffy, do you? You're afraid they would go at it again!"

"She has not exactly shown good judgment in that respect," Belmovekk said, avoiding Xander's gaze, "has she not?"

"Holy, bejebus, B-man," Xander said still shocked, "I hate Angel with the best of them but not enough to wish that kind of torture on her. It's still killing her, you know."

"You think I do not know that!" the Saiyan yelled with great desperation, "I am forced to having to choose between two evils and none of them seem any lesser to me. I am not allowed to kill the bastard. If she would just have let me he would have been dust months ago. Which makes me need that curse all the more to keep him in check. If I re-soul him however I run the risk that the both of them may go at it again. She just does not think straight where it comes to him. And even if they were to exercise proper judgment, what kind of life would they have? They cannot be together, they cannot have children, he would never age while she grows old. I have been there. It is not something I would wish on her."

"Yet you're willing to do it yourself with her mother," Xander retorted.

"That is different, Xander," Belmovekk said as he sat down on the pavement, feet in the gutter.

"It always is," Xander replied as he sat down next to the Saiyan.

"Joyce is pregnant," Belmovekk said looking straight ahead, "it was a mistake from my part but now I have to live with it. I am willing to be there for her if she wants to. But she is most definitely pregnant from me. So while she grows old and I will not she will at least have a family. And besides, I have lived long enough to know that looks do not matter. I would care just as much for Joyce if she were 90 and wrinkled then she is now. Vampires however do not get children, Xander. They only sire other vampires. I wished to spare her such a life. Have her find a nice boy such as yourself, and grow old together with lots of children. As it should be."

"Your intentions are good, B-man," Xander said as he put his arm on Belmovekk's shoulder, "but this will not work. Angelus is indeed crazy as a loon. You think you may control him but the only way to do that for sure is to stake the bastard. Let's tell Buffy that we've found a way to re-soul Overbite and have some trust in each other. Or better yet, re-soul him, have a good heart to heart with him so he'll do the decent thing and leave this place forever. Don't condemn Overbite for what he might do. But this Angelus thing is killing her."

"I will take your advice into consideration, young man," the Saiyan said after a while, "it really is a shame the two of you never got together. You would have made a fine husband for her."

"Maybe even a son in law if you play your cards right, B-man," Xander grinned. The two of them laughed and they got up went to wherever they were planning to go.

On top of the roof of a building Angelus however hunched back and reflected on what he had just heard.

x

* * *

x

AN 2017: _Actually, reading it again it wasn't as bad as I used to think._


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

**Chapter Twenty three**

 **'The Phony war'**

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AN: _The Phony war was the period after the fall of Poland in late September 1939 until the invasion of Norway in April 1940. When the Allies and the German stared at each other across the Maginot line and did nothing but shout harsh language. Even the RAF dropped more leaflets then bombs in that period. It was basically the silence before the storm._

 _Now I had finished the concluding chapters and I felt something was needed between those and the previous chapters. I couldn't find a good tie in to the episodes that dealt with that time period, I once or twice even decided to not to do another chapter. But some things needed to be resolved. A silence before the storm was needed. And then it happened. My muse injected me with 100% inspiration and it came out all in one go, creating probably the longest chapter. This is now one of my favorite chapters. Enjoy!_

x

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x

"I cannot believe I missed it," Belmovekk said looking sadly as he leaned back in a chair in the library.

"That's what you get for almost never being here," Xander replied, "although I can't understand why on earth you would have wanted to be there in the first place."

"Yeah," Cordelia said, "the whole poltergeist attraction ride is so overrated."

They were talking of course of the whole ghostly possession trip that had ended with Buffy and Angelus playing out a scene to a happier ending then had transgressed several decades earlier in the 50's.

"Maybe to you guys," the Saiyan said disappointed, "but I have never experienced ghostly manifestations before."

"I find that hard to believe," Xander said, "4000 years and never a case of a Saiyan ghost being angry as hell and not taking it anymore?"

"Nope," the Saiyan said shaking his head, "when a Saiyan dies, he tends to stay dead. It may change here though on Earth. Present company excluded of course every Saiyan who has ever sat foot on Earth has died and both of them have returned from the grave."

"Doesn't that worry you?" Cordelia said, "That's some serious bad luck. Maybe you should get it over with."

"Speak for yourself, young lady," Belmovekk snorted, "I am planning on keeping my record intact.

"4000 years going strong," Xander grinned, "so it is true, the older you get the more they have to drag you kicking and screaming to the grave."

Belmovekk shot a deathglare at the young man who shrugged it off unimpressed.

"Surely you have seen a ghost at some point in your career?" Giles asked having overheard the entire discussion and holding a cup of tea.

"Oh, I have seen ghosts, Master Giles," Belmovekk said looking at the Librarian, "I even know how to raise one, although I do not do it very often."

"You can raise ghosts?" Giles asked surprised.

"Yeah, it is dead easy," the Saiyan smiled, "Polgara taught me. Do you wish to talk to any of your ancestors?"

"No thanks," Giles said and took a sip of his tea to calm his nerves at the very idea.

"Anyway, like I said," Belmovekk continued towards Xander and Cordelia, "raising a ghost is not that difficult. But to have a ghost occur naturally is a whole different thing. Dead Saiyans do not haunt houses, nor do the dead of the world where I have been living on. But from what I have learned here they do. Things do go bump in the night here. Snakes, hornets, force fields, is it not exciting?"

"Better you then me," Xander said shaking his head, "it may be fun for you but it was deadly serious to me. With the emphasis on deadly. Oh, and did I forgot to mention that I hate snakes!"

"Let alone very hard for Buffy," Cordelia said earning some surprise looks, "what? Why are you looking at me like that? I try to care!"

"And a good try it was," Xander said and took her hand and kissed it.

"Um, yes," Giles said, "any, um, improvement we had over her dealing with, um, the loss of Angel has been ripped open all over again."

"Now we go back from cranky Buffy to depressive Buffy," Cordelia said.

"A bit blunt but most probably right," Giles said.

"Maybe it is time?" Xander said, looking pleadingly at Belmovekk, but the Saiyan shook no.

"Can't we set her up with somebody else?" Cordelia said oblivious, "Or maybe send her speed dating or something?"

"I think that pretty much negated your previous good try, Cor," Xander said.

"But it's true," Cordelia protested, "she needs to get laid."

"Thank you for your brutal, um, insight, Cordelia," Giles said and finished his tea to keep up at least a pretense of British decorum.

"Look, if Buffy wants too I can hook her up with several people," Cordelia said brutally earnest, "including guys from the football and swim team. For some strange reason, even though she has a reputation for weirdness, there are plenty of guys who still seem to like her."

"Of course," Xander said without thinking, "she's hot! Auw!"

Cordelia knocked him on his ribs.

"What is speed dating?" Belmovekk asked puzzled.

"I have some indexing to do," Giles said uncomfortably and beat a hasty retreat.

"Was it something I said?," the Saiyan looked surprised.

"Don't worry," Xander said, "The G-man is British, remember? They don't do sex over there. It makes then nervous."

"I find that hard to believe," the Saiyan said, "have you seen their newspapers? Surely they must do it, otherwise Master Giles here would not exist."

"Only with the lights out and while thinking of England," Xander laughed.

"Xander, please," Giles said pleading while strenuously indexing the library records on the other side of the library.

"But that still does not answer my question," Belmovekk said still puzzled.

"And which question would that be?" Buffy asked as she and Willow entered the library.

"What on Earth speed dating is," Belmovekk said to her.

"What, you're already giving up on my mother," Buffy asked surprised.

"No, silly," Cordelia said, "it would seem that mister glow in the dark here didn't understand it when I said that speed dating might be…."

"….just the thing for us," Xander interrupted, smiling nervously, "to see if our love holds true even when meeting lots of gorgeous other singles and..., I'm so not going to get it tonight as I'm digging my own grave here, right Cordy?"

He gave Cordelia such an injured puppy look that she didn't reply.

"And you talk about this when we're not here?" a very surprised Buffy said.

"Oh, you'd be surprised what we are talking about when you gals are not here," Xander grinned sheepishly.

"You should have quit while you were still digging your own grave, young man," Belmovekk said as he leaned over to Xander, "instead of adding some quicksand in there as well."

"Oh lord, please help me to keep my big mouth shut," Xander groaned burying his face in his hands.

"So how was history class, Buffy," Giles said, thinking Xander had finally suffered enough for his earlier Brit bashing.

"The usual," Buffy sighed as she and Willow sat down with the rest, "lots of boring dead people doing lots of boring stuff that only matters to other boring people who might as well be dead. I could so use that week's vacation that's coming up."

"Oz and his band will be returning for the vacation," Willow smiled from ear to ear.

"Wrapping up their world wide Southern California tour?" Xander asked still face buried in his hands.

"At least somebody's going to have fun," Buffy said morosely to herself.

"Are we going to have fun, babe?" Xander said finally looking up and took Cordelia's hand.

"Geez Xander," she said assuming a thinking pose, "tempting..., but unfortunately, no. My parents always go to Lake Tahoe at this time of the year and I have to tag along. So I'll guess you'll have to date your hand."

"That's OK, Xander," Xander said while holding up his left hand and talking in a different voice, "girls may come and go, but I'll always love you."

"You're such a dweeb," Cordelia said smiling and kissed Xander.

"Now I'm getting jealous," Xander's left hand voice said.

"While most entertaining, all in all," Belmovekk said as he looked around, "but could somebody please explain to me what speed dating is?"

x

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x

In the cafeteria of the University of California, Sunnydale dependence.

"I hate Tommy's parents! One word of them and he goes running back home to mommy! I wish he had an accident so they can take care of him the rest of his life!"

"Done!"

x

* * *

x

Later in the day, after school was finished, Belmovekk was putting both Buffy and Xander through their paces in the gravity gym. Buffy in particular was relishing the punishment as a means to take her mind of things. With Xander getting clobbered in a sparring match.

But the young man was no slouch these days. From the memories of the Saiyan elite he'd been able to distill quite some useful skills and abilities. Including how to control that most difficult transformation that is Ozaru. And while Xander may have lacked a Saiyan tail in order to turn Ozaru he did have locked deeply within him vestigial powers that remained from his possession by a primal hyena spirit. It had taken him months of careful training but now he was confident he could call upon those powers and be fully in control, instead of being controlled by it. He didn't think himself anywhere near equal to a Slayer, especially one of Buffy's experience, but with time, who knew. He kept it a secret of course, fearing Buffy would learn that he did remember what happened at the time, chalking it up to the Halloween possession instead. For now he gave Buffy a good run for her money. Which suited her just fine. An easy work out proved no distraction.

While the kids enjoyed their little match Belmovekk was putting himself through some rigorous training of his own. While both Buffy and Xander had still not progressed to the intermediate Saiyan training techniques and katas, Belmovekk had gone far beyond the most advanced forms. Mostly because there existed no training techniques and katas for Super Saiyan. Which meant that he (as did Goku) had to spend a lot of time finding something suitable, a work in progress until the day they'd die.

Thinking he had come up with another improvement Belmovekk halted and made some new notations to his notes. Which was why he kept on a computer terminal next to the inside gravity gym controls. It was also where a small refrigerator was built containing his sport drinks. Usually his own recipe. He took out a bottle and drank deeply. It was after all always important to keep up one's fluids, even if the gravity of the gym was only set to 15 G's, it being the current upper limit of both Buffy and most importantly Xander. Still, if one powers down enough even 15 G's could be quite a challenge.

Belmovekk leaned against the wall of the gym and while occasionally taking a sip he observed both Buffy and Xander in action. They were really hammering each other, just short of outright killing each other. His Saiyan heart rejoiced in their enthusiasm, it warmed his soul. By the Gods, if only they were his children.

Xander, he had come a long way indeed. What he had done to the boy with the Halloween possession, well, it wasn't his greatest moment of glory. The kid had been desperate for a leg up. It didn't help that his parents were sacks of shit not worthy of being called parents. A parent should take care of their children foremost. Xander's had only physically and mentally abused him. It was a miracle the kid had turned out the way he did. Clearly the good influence of his friends to which he was fanatically dedicated. In a way not really that big of a surprise though. A whipped and beaten dog that suddenly gets love also becomes fanatically loyal. It was too bad for poor Xander though that his friends didn't really need him as a protector. The kid wasn't as academically gifted as Willow or Master Giles. Or as strong as Buffy. Stifled in the normal manly role of protector all he could offer was his great heart and the kid was sorely under appreciated in that role. It didn't quite help that the great love of his life didn't think of him in that way. It was clearly a recipe for disaster waiting to happen. No, in retrospect him pulling that Halloween stunt on Xander was probably the best thing. Even if it wasn't nice. But at least the kid was now an equal of sorts, his inferiority complex hopefully gone forever.

Buffy on the other hand, she was definitely what they called on this world high maintenance. She had great potential, the things Xander would sacrifice an eye for to have, and yet she refused to come to terms with it. Always blabbing on over that normal life. When all she had to do was ask Xander how well that worked out for him. She was obviously a daddy's girl without a real father to hang on. A thousand curses on that abominable father of her. Fuck it, one of these days he would curse that man with some serious boils and afflictions for deserting his daughter when she needed him most. It was obvious that she had transferred the whole father role to both him and Master Giles. Well, they would try and do their best. It was also obvious that the whole mystique of the father figure was what drew her to that accursed vampire.

The vampire. Who should have known better if he hadn't been to busy feeling sorry for himself for a whole century instead of getting himself back on track. What a loser! Belmovekk knew everything on guilt trips. He had done his share of them. As had Belgarath. So you lose yourself in strong drink and casual sex for a few years! A decade at the most. An occasional relapse when you had a bad day. But a whole fucking century? Pathetic! No wonder he preferred Angelus over Angel. Still, it could and probably would backfire on him. That worried him. He didn't like lying to Buffy. No father figure should lie and deceive his child. But it had to be done. Master Giles could see the truth, knew it deep down in his heart, but he doted too much on her to actually do it. So somebody had to step up to the plate. If only he could finish off Spike and Drusilla soon. Then he wouldn't need Angelus any more. The bugger could then be quietly re-souled and send packing. Probably at least he would know better then to stick around and let the whole sorry mess start over again.

Belmovekk shook his head and banished any doubts he had over the path he had chosen to the back of his mind. The course had been set, better to make the most of it. Second guessing only let to problems, hesitation and wavering in battle. He had been trained better then that by his teachers on planet Vegeta. Speaking of training, they were ready to advance to the next stage of their training. They had nearly mastered the basic levels, all that remained was teaching Buffy how to fly and integrate that into her fighting techniques. After that came the intermediate training levels. When Saiyans really started to pump up their power levels. And the six styles of course

He was about to halt the fight when he felt a small but very familiar chi nearing his place. He left the gym and went to the front door and opened it in time to see Joyce standing there looking very surprised, about ready to ring the bell.

"Hello, Joyce," he said and smiled.

"Uh, hi Belmovekk," she said surprised, "how did you know."

"I sensed you coming," he smiled.

"You can feel me coming?" she asked surprised.

"A skill I am still developing, but yes," he said, "even better now that you are pregnant. Your life force has increased because of it. Come in. What brings you to my humble abode?"

"Um, Buffy actually," Joyce said as she entered the building, "I've closed the gallery early and was hoping she was here."

"She is, Joyce. Both she and Xander are kicking the snot out of each other and enjoying every minute of it. Would you like to see?"

Belmovekk took Joyce Summers along to the outer control panel of the gravity gym, deeper and around the corner of the entrance corridor.

"This part I've not seen before," she said as she looked around.

"These are the outside controls. I rarely use them," Belmovekk said and pointed to a couple of chairs and a stack of magazines, "but Master Giles and the girls usually sit here and watch us inside if they want to.

Joyce picked up a magazine.

"Cosmopolitan?" she said with a smile.

"Those are Cordelia's," Belmovekk said, "honest!"

With a push of the button the window went from opaque to see through and Joyce could see the fierce battle going on inside.

"Oh my God," she said, "they're killing each other!"

"Nah," Belmovekk said proudly, "they are just blowing of steam."

"Is the gravity on," she asked looking at the panel

"15 G's," Belmovekk said pointing at an indicator.

"It boggles the mind that they can endure it," Joyce said shaking her head, "how on earth can human beings survive such pressure?"

"Very gradually," Belmovekk shrugged, "just like deep sea divers. Have you heard what happened with the school poltergeist?"

"I heard some of it. Mostly from Rupert though," Joyce replied while looking at the battle inside the gym, "Buffy wasn't to keen to talk about it, although she's been moping around the house even more now then usual."

"It opened some old wounds regarding that vampire she loved," Belmovekk said as he leaned on the panel, "so now she's trying to lose herself in her training. As for Xander, he has been desperate for so long to prove himself as her equal and now he is finally getting there. Which does surprise me in a way. She is still considerably stronger though."

"It really is too bad though that the two of them never got together," Joyce said, "he'd be perfect for her."

"Alas, Joyce," Belmovekk sighed, "she let her chance slip and now he has another."

"Yeah, it really is too bad. For now I'd settle for her to mope a bit less. It's like a humid heat spreading throughout the house," Joyce sighed.

Suddenly Belmovekk had an idea. He smiled and looked at Joyce.

x

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x

Inside the gravity gym Buffy had decided that playtime was over. Until then she had kept herself at Xander's impressive level. Now she increased her power. Not quite to full, that would be beside the point. She wanted a good fight, not hurt her friend. But she still wanted to win.

To her surprise Xander kept up effortlessly. Not through power. She was clearly stronger. She fought with utter abandonment. He however used superior technique. It must be that damn Halloween possession, she thought. Xander knew every technique and martial arts they had been taught by Belmovekk and then some. And he had always been around when she practiced in the library in the old days. Most likely admiring her body as she practiced. But he wasn't stupid. Xander had never been stupid. He just wasn't as book smart as Willow and Giles. And now he could draw upon stuff she didn't know yet.

For a moment she toyed with the idea of letting Xander win. It might be good for him to feel that he was her equal. Then again, he was probably too smart for that. He always could see straight to the point. He was bad at explaining it, but if anybody got what the bad guy was up to first it was generally Xander. Letting him win would probably insult him, go against his guy code. In the things that mattered to him he just wasn't a cheater.

So she let him use his box of Halloween supplied tricks. She had always been very good at adapting to what her opponents did. Sooner or later he'd run out of new tricks and then she'd have his ass for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

They were in the thick of things when suddenly the gravity went down. It usually meant playtime was over. Both fighters stepped back and greeted each other in the ritual stance that Belmovekk had taught them. Then they both went to the fridge and got something to drink.

"Saved by the bell, Xan," Buffy said between drinking. It always felt good to drink after a good fight.

"Naturally," Xander replied, "no shame in admitting you were going down, Buff."

Buffy sniggered but before she could get in another pun the door opened and Belmovekk and her mother stepped in. Which surprised her greatly.

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Joyce," Xander smiled between gulps.

"Hello Xander," she replied, "that was some, um, fight you guys put up."

"We do our best," Xander said and drank some more. Joyce smiled and turned to Buffy again

"Buffy, I happened to be able to close the gallery an hour earlier and I thought maybe we could order in some Chinese and spend some quality time together."

"Sure, mum," Buffy replied, a bit wondered why she would come by just to say that.

"In a way it was most fortunate of your mother to come by," Belmovekk said, arms folded across his chest sporting that accursed 'I'm so smart right now' smirk of his when he was up to something.

"Why?" Xander asked misreading the smirk, "So you guys could kiss and make up again? Auw! Quit poking me, Buff, playtime is over!"

"Is there any control over that runaway mouth of yours?" Buffy said after having given him a poking to remember, "Do you even think before speaking?"

"Funny you should mention that," Xander replied rubbing his painful ribs, "do you want the long story or the short one?"

"Before I get old and wrinkled, Xander."

"Uh, in that case, no," Xander said.

"At least it was short," Belmovekk agreed still smirking, "anyway. Since Joyce was here it gave me the opportunity to discuss some of your training with her. I feel, and she agrees with me, that it would be no good to have you guys waste away your upcoming school vacation doing nothing. Idleness is the devils spawn. That is why we think it is best if we send you guys on some survival training."

"WHAT!" the both of them yelled.

"You can't be serious?" Buffy said, "Free time! Willow! Bronze! Hanging out! Sacred duty to protect!"

"Yeah," Xander added, "Movies! Twinkies! Smoochies with Cordelia! Doing nothing!"

"I will hear no arguments over this," Belmovekk said sternly, "I will not have you kids hang around doing nothing. With this planets abominable school system you already have way too much free time. As my trainers used to see, if you can complain, you have plenty of breath for 2000 additional push ups!"

"And I totally agree," Joyce said, "I will not have you hanging around the house."

"But I could be hanging around with the guys," Buffy pouted.

"Well, let us see," Belmovekk said and started counting on his fingers, "miss Chase leaves town with her parents, so no smoochies for poor Xander, Miss Rosenberg will be spending time with her boyfriend, who will be visiting her. Which leaves you two idle."

"Why do we have to go on survival and Oz gets time off to lock lips with Willow," complained Xander.

"Because he has been away on tour for a while, dimwit, and unlike you and Miss Chase he has been seriously lacking on quality time with Willow. Because until he decides how far he wants to go with his training, I cannot take it any further. And because you guys are further."

Buffy would give anything right now if she could wipe that annoying smirk of Belmovekk's face. And was it her imagination and was her mother also starting to smirk similarly?

"I could hang out with Giles," Buffy said triumphantly.

"For a whole week, young lady?" Belmovekk snorted, "Let him have some time off as well. Spend some quality time with his books. Or, 'cough, cough', the chance for him and Miss Calendar to renew their relationship."

"WHAT!" Buffy yelled, "why would he even wish to see that skank again!"

"Buffy," Joyce said looking very shocked, "I won't have you talk about Rupert's girlfriend like that!"

"I'm sorry, mom." Buffy said in her best sorry tone, "but you have to understand. She betrayed us. She lied to us about Angel."

"Well technically, Buff," Xander said, "all she did was not tell us that she had been sent by her Gypsy clan to keep an eye on Angel. If you think about it, how many lies have you told Joyce to keep her from finding out you are the Slayer?"

"Well, thanks a lot, Xan," Buffy said and hit Xander on the shoulder.

"Auw!" Xander yelped, "Why is everybody always hitting me?"

"Because your mouth always opens before your brain thinks," Buffy snorted, "God's gift to the bell curve!"

"Xander did raise a good point here," Joyce said going over to the young man and started rubbing his shoulder, "you've lied to me for more then two years about being a Slayer and it had me worried sick to my stomach not knowing why you were acting so strange. Do you have any idea how frightening it is to find blood on the clothes of your daughter?"

"And not just in….," Xander tried to say. But before Xander could continue Belmovekk put his hand on the young man's mouth.

"Think before you speak, young man, remember?"

Xander nodded and the Saiyan let go.

"I forgot," Xander said apologetic.

"But that was different, mum," Buffy continued after giving Xander a quick evil eye, "I had not one but two watchers tell me over and over again that this Slayer thing is a sacred duty. Besides, I wanted to protect you from all this."

"I know, honey," Joyce said still massaging Xander's shoulder, "we talked about it, remember?"

"And in all fairness, young lady," Belmovekk said, "Miss Calendar was raised far longer then you ever where in a culture that emphasized loyalty to her clan and her culture. Did her sacred duty not count as well? Or does it only count if they run parallel with yours?"

"I guess so," Buffy said very quietly.

"Now, because you and Miss Calendar will not see eye to eye Master Giles has been given her the cold shoulder. But it is eating him up inside as he clearly still loves her. She loves him, let them have their time together, young lady. For their sake. It is rare enough if two people find love together. This world is already complicated and strange enough as it is. Give them your blessing."

"I suppose," Buffy said as she couldn't find anything to disagree with except her dislike of the woman.

"That is my girl," Belmovekk smiled and ruffled her hair, "now you and your mother can go home. Do not forget to shower first."

"Well, um, if you want, why won't you, um, and Xander come along," Joyce said looking at the Saiyan, "I was planning on ordering Chinese."

"Oh, we're coming," Xander said before Belmovekk got a chance to answer, "the B-man here loves Chinese food. Don't you, big lug?"

"I, um..," was all Belmovekk could say, looking totally surprised.

"He said yes," Xander said and put his arms around the stuttering Saiyan and whispered, "quit while you are ahead."

"That still does not mean you will get out of survival training," the Saiyan whispered back.

x

* * *

x

In a Sunnydale bar.

"I wish that backstabbing scumbag of a Larry would turn into a toad! That he has a huge boil on his ass that whenever he sits hurts like hell!"

"Done," a voice said.

x

* * *

x

"Survival training?" Giles said stunned.

"You know," Xander said the next day in the library, "the kind that involves getting lost in the wilderness, no Twinkies, no toilet paper and being eating alive by mosquitoes. Did I forgot to mention that there would be no Twinkies?"

"We can't do survival," Buffy pouted, still horrified by the idea, "I've got nails to polish and vamps to slay."

"And don't forget the Twinkies," Xander whimpered.

"Look, Buffy, Xander," Giles said still not knowing what to think, "I don't exactly see the point for this kind of training either. But at the time we agreed that Belmovekk would have the final say in you training. If he feels this is, um, necessary then it must be necessary. All I can do is ask him why."

"Ah," Xander said raising his arm triumphantly, "technically you agreed about Buffy's training. Nothing was said about him having a say over my training."

"Are you ditching me, Xander?" Buffy said, looking funny at her friend, "what happened to me being your great love?"

"We're on the SS Titanic Survival, she's sinking fast and it's every Xander for himself, Buff," Xander said stone faced.

"Come to think about it, Xander," Giles said looking upwards in thought, "in your case the same rules apply."

"WHAT!"

"You asked to be given the same treatment, remember?" Giles smiled, "Maybe you should have thought about that before you begged to be trained as well."

"That is so unfair," Xander said as the spirit deflated him, "I didn't beg!"

"Ha ha," Buffy said pointing at her friend, "guess who's also coming along to Smokey the Bear country!"

"Defeated by small print." Xander said shaking his head, "hey, wait a minute, G-man, I didn't sign anything."

"A verbal agreement is just as binding as a written one," Giles replied hardly able to contain his glee, "good God man, I'm starting to think Belmovekk is right. A week off in the woods would build some character instead of all this whining."

"A camping trip would be nice though," Willow said who was also present, "building a campfire, singing songs while roasting marshmallows, sleeping in a tent together, telling scary stories."

"Will, this is not like we did with Jesse in your back garden," Xander said, "this is real take only a sleeping bag, some rope and a knife survival. No marshmallows and no tent."

"Don't forget that manual we could bring," Buffy said.

"Oh, which one," Giles said in a book happy tone.

"Something called Ray Mars world something," Buffy said after some thinking.

"Ray Mears world of survival," Giles said, his eyes lighting up, "a very good choice."

Caught in the book spirit he went to rummage on his bookshelves.

"I take it you know good ol' Ray," Xander asked.

"Oh, yes," Giles said and gave Xander the book he was looking for, "everybody back home knows Ray Mears."

"So I take it he is the MacGyver of survival," Buffy said.

"You could say that," Giles replied, having no clue who MacGyver was. But over the years he had learned it was easier to just say yes and pretend he understood then to ask and be thought a fool.

"Buffy, haven't you ever gone camping?" Willow asked surprised.

"My parent's definition of camping usually meant going to Disneyland, Will, followed by catching dinner at the golden arches," Buffy said to her friend, "I was always more of a San Bernardino valley girl."

"Hey Buff, this guy even lists which bugs you can eat," Xander said reading in the book, and teasing the blond Slayer.

"I hate you, Xander!" Buffy groaned.

"Oh, it says here that if you bake them, wood worms can be quite tasty as well," Xander continued

"Let me guess," Buffy said, "they taste like chicken."

"No, it said here they taste like egg."

"Chicken, egg, it's all poultry to me," Buffy sighed, who spotted Belmovekk entering the library, "oh look who walks in for a change to make my life even more miserable."

Then she spotted the stranger accompanying him, wearing a hip-hop style hooded sweater.

"And he's brought a friend as well! So who's MC Hammer," she asked.

"Slayer," Belmovekk greeted her formally, "we have a representative from Sunnydale's underworld with us. Tell them what you told me."

"Hey, we have hip-hop demons these days it would seem," Xander said.

"Uh, hi guys," a very wrinkled looking demon said as he put down the hood. He also looked as if he was about to shit his pants from being so close to the Slayer.

"And a Sharpei hip-hop demon to boot," Xander smiled.

"Xander," an irritated Giles said, then he looked at the demon, "what can we do for you, uh?"

"Clem, my name is Clem," Clem said very shifty looking.

"What can we do for you, Clem," Giles said, trying to sound as soothing as possible.

"Well, ever since the edict we are to, um, keep an eye on things to evade the wrath of the Slayer," Clem said, giving Buffy a quick frightened look.

"I don't bite," Buffy smiles.

"She just kills," Xander smiled, then his smile turned to a smirk, "So do I by the way."

"Xander," Giles sighed.

"Well," continues Clem, "in concordance with the edict I'm here to tell you that a vengeance demon has arrived here in Sunnydale and has been granting wishes. Please don't kill me. I'm just a messenger. We only learned of it just now. It's not our fault."

"A vengeance demon? Oh dear," Giles said and immediately began to perform the Giles maneuver, the ritual polishing of his glasses.

"When he starts doing that I'm getting worried," Xander said as he leaned over towards Willow.

"We thank you for your information, good Clem," Belmovekk said, "rest assured that anyone providing the Slayer with good reliable information has nothing to fear."

"Clem, do you happen to know the name of this particular vengeance demon," Giles asked.

"They say it is Vankhnesh, Clem said, desperately eying the exit, "can I go now?"

Belmovekk nodded. Upon which Clem bolted for the exit.

"And for his next impression, Jesse Owens," Xander said as the library door was still swinging after the demon had passed.

"This is bad," Giles said and started to whip out the books. The ones he keeps behind lock and key these days. The ones that give Xander nightmares because they spell T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

"Oh, cool, research party," Willow said excited and took one of the books, "what are we looking for?"

"My guess, Vankhnesh, category Vengeance demons," Xander sighed. All the bitching aside he was sort of looking forward to spending a week in the boonies with Buffy. It beat being home with his parents and she desperately needed to get away from it all. Just be with a good friend. Which he suspected was what the Saiyan really intended all along.

"I guess this means survivor island is now off?" Buffy said sort of relieved.

"Nonsense," Belmovekk said and grabbed a book, "your week of survival training will go ahead as scheduled. You are welcome to grab a book and help us research but tomorrow at 05:00 I expect both you and Xander to stand outside your house on the ready "

"But…., bad demons..., slayage..., me...?" Buffy whimpered.

"Shut up, books, research, do as you're told," the Saiyan replied without giving her a look.

"What do we actually know about these demons," Willow asked towards Giles, "are they bad?"

"Judging by the stack of books, very bad, Will," Xander said and grabbed one himself, "surely by now you know the bigger the stack, the bigger the trouble."

"Vengeance demons are unlike all other demons," Giles said without looking up from his book, "they go around and grant wishes."

"Cool," Xander said, "so if I were so say, I wish for a million bucks I'd get it?"

"No, you twit!" Giles yelled and to everyone's surprise threw a book at Xander hitting him on the head.

"Auw!" Xander yelped and clutched his head.

"Serves you right, you git! Look what you made me do," Giles said as he got up and picked up his book, "this book costs a fortune! Vengeance demons are extremely dangerous, you twit. Don't you ever dare to say a wish out loud! Any wish, no matter how frivolous and carefree though it might be could get you into serious trouble!"

"Doesn't mean you have to throw books at me," Xander muttered while rubbing his head.

"No, I should have Belmovekk asked here to rebuild your skull," Giles replied still angry, "but all you have inside is the Freeway Construction Zone of Drool."

"Somebody is channeling Ripper again," Buffy singsonged softly as she picked up a book and held it in front of her face.

Giles closed his eyes and put one hand on his forehead to let go of his anger. Then he sighed.

"Look, Xander, I'm sorry that I threw a book at you. It was wrong of me, I shouldn't have done it. It's also very bad for the books. But I cannot stress enough the danger that vengeance demons pose. All they need is a careless wish to wreak havoc. An uncle of mine was afflicted with 6 different kinds of diseases at once. Including one that caused him to lose his, um, family jewels."

The men in the room shuddered in sympathetic ghost pain.

"Vengeance demons prey upon those who are or feel that they were wronged," Giles continued, "they either make use of a careless wish by these people or befriend them and solicit them into making a wish."

"How do you stop them?" Buffy asked.

"The best way is to never make a wish, Buffy," Giles said as he sat down again, "they have tremendous power but without somebody making a wish they cannot release that potential."

"Got it. Making a wish bad," Buffy nodded.

"Hey, there's something about a Vankhnesh here," Willow said looking up from her book.

"What does it say?" Giles asked as Giles moved over to her side to read along with her.

"Vankhnesh was originally a girl from 19th century India," Willow read, "who was married off by her parents to an old merchant in Gujarat."

"Figures," Buffy snorted, "they always marry the girl of to some gnarly old dude with a mountain full of goats."

"Do not knock something until you have tried it, young lady," Belmovekk said, "arranged marriages are a time honored tradition amongst my people."

"But its wrong," Buffy objected vehemently, "people shouldn't be forced to marry somebody against their will!"

"Oh, and like it is so much better here?" the Saiyan countered and got up and went to the magazine stand and picked up a Newsweek that said 'Divorce Rate Rises to 60%'

"Some things are just better off not left to the hormone crazed judgment of people in love, young lady," he said walking back to his seat, "we had zero divorce rate. Do not judge a system from its excesses."

"Please people, we are researching here, not discussing the pro's and con's of arranged marriages," Giles said, "Willow, please continue."

"It says here that despite their age differences they loved each other very much," Willow continued.

Belmovekk gave Buffy a smug look.

"But since she had trouble getting children, the groom's family didn't like her very much and insisted that he would divorce her. He refused but after seven years of marriage he died. According to local custom in order to inherit the business a man's brother either has to marry the widow or the widow has to commit suttee."

"What's that?" Xander asked, "It sounds familiar somehow."

"Suttee is an Indian custom where the widow has to commit ritual suicide by joining her dead husband on the funeral fire," Giles said, "often they are forced to do so and being drugged. When the British conquered India they stamped it out immediately."

"For once, yeah for the evil conquering tweed brigade," Buffy said, looking smugly at Belmovekk.

"An evil practice which has nothing to do with the merits of arranged marriage," the Saiyan said dismissively.

"It said here that the husbands brother refused to marry her because she was barren and they forced her to commit suttee," Willow continued, "they drugged her and put her on the funeral pyre. It was already burning when a British Indian army patrol intervened and saved her. She swore vengeance on the memory of her dead husband. She hired a local group of Thuggee's and together they raided the houses of her husbands family. She had all the women stripped of their wombs and all the men she had them castrated. Those that survived were sold as indentured servants to the Kali cult."

"Nasty," Xander said and couldn't help but reach for his manhood, "and that woman is in town? That trip to the woods sounds better and better."

Willow read on.

"After hearing of her vengeance, the master of all vengeance demons approached her and offered her a position. In the vengeance demon pantheon she is known as the patron demon of all who see their love cruelly broken by meddling relatives."

"Then why is she here?" Xander asked, "Surely she could have a lifetime supply of needy cases just hanging around the Jerry Springer show?"

"It does not matter why she is here," Belmovekk said slamming shut his book, "what matters is that we put an end to it. Nobody breaks the edict in this place. Not while I am around."

"Uh, Belmo," Buffy said holding up her hand, "don't you mean we?"

"Technically yes, young lady," he said, "but not this time, because you are going on survival training, remember? We can handle this. The world will not always come to an end if the almighty Buffy is not present."

"Ha," she said and pointed triumphantly at him, "you just said my name!"

"No I did not," Belmovekk said stone faced

"Oh yes you did," Buffy smiled.

"If I did then only in the third person to make a point, young lady," Belmovekk snorted and leaned back looking somewhere else.

"You've said my name," Buffy singsonged and pointing with her finger, "you've said my name."

"He said it lots of time, Buff," Xander said, "usually when you are not around, but still."

"That don't count, Xan," Buffy smiled, "it's like that forest thing. You know, if a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it, is it still a sound?"

"While it's good that you have been paying attention in Philosophy 1.0," Giles said not getting what the fuss was about, "can we please get back to the matter at hand. We have a vengeance demon to defeat."

"What, beside the traditional methods," Xander said also closing his book, "boil them, mash them, stick 'em in a stew? I'd say the real question is how to find her."

"Well, there is a, um, ritual for that," Giles said.

"So we summon the bitch, kill her and then me and Xander still have time to go and have deliverance dumped all over us," Buffy said. Giles was about to say it wasn't going to be so easy when they were brutally interrupted.

"Belmovekk, you crazy Ape! What are you thinking sending my boyfriend away with the Mistress of Slay!"

Cordelia had entered the library and she wasn't happy.

"Shit, fan, now," Xander sighed as he banged his head on the table.

"Let's talk in private," Belmovekk said as he got up and took Cordelia by the arm. Before he left the library he looked at Buffy.

"This may be a good moment for you to talk with Master Giles, young lady."

"Talk about what?" Giles said surprised.

x

* * *

x

"Let go of me," Cordelia said once outside and pulled her arm free.

"Look, Miss Chase," Belmovekk said folding his arms across his chest, "there is nothing going on here, it is just a harmless survival training."

"Don't you miss Chase me, General Zaius," Cordelia said angrily, pointing her finger at him, "I am not stupid! You are trying to hook up my boyfriend with your pet Slayer. That is what this is all about. Sending just the two of them off into the woods. Survival my ass!"

Angry she turned her back towards him. Belmovekk was at a loss for words and almost wanted to grab her by the shoulders but at the last second decided not to.

"I think you are reading too much into this, miss Chase," he said.

"Look mister," Cordelia said turning around folding her arms across her shapely chest, "I may not be as smart as Willow or as strong as Buffy and Xander, but I know everything about relationships and manipulating people. This has hook up written all over it. Xander is my boyfriend! Why don't you arrange another vamp for Buffy instead, Xander has too much body warmth for her taste anyway."

Belmovekk held up his hands in despair and rolled his eyes upwards mouthing the words 'why me?' silently. Then he sighed.

"What are you so worried about, Miss Chase, Buffy has never indicated any romantic interest in Xander whatsoever."

"But Xander always had plenty in her," Cordelia said, her anger suddenly gone, "he's always going on about Buffy this and Buffy that. And if it is not Buffy it's about Willow."

Finally Belmovekk understood.

"Look, Miss Chase," he said, "I will not deny that a match up between the two, well, I would welcome it very much. As you know yourself he is a good young man, he can keep up with her these days and best of all, he is not some vampire who loses his souls the moment they get intimate. But he has chosen you, Miss Chase. You are his girl now. I have gotten to know Xander quite well and I know that means something to him. He is Saiyan in that respect. Once he's made his choice he sticks to it. She could totally try and seduce him, his honor would not let him give in."

"But he only chose me because he couldn't get her," Cordelia said, with tears suddenly in her eyes, "I'm not stupid. I know he loves me. It's just that he loves her more then he does me."

"I think you do yourself short, Cordelia Chase," Belmovekk said and embraced the crying girl.

"But I do love him," she sobbed, "I didn't think it was possible. He was such a non-person. He only was marginally cool because he hung out with Buffy. But it's not every day that somebody puts the mojo on all of Sunnydale just to get me back."

"Let us never forget Xander's unfortunate usage of love magic again," the Saiyan said suppressing a big smile at the memory, "hey, does that not prove that he loves you? If he wanted Buffy more, then surely he could have targeted her instead."

"Hey, you're right, he could have done that. He does love me more," Cordelia said looking up, suddenly feeling much better.

"See, you have nothing to fear, miss Chase," Belmovekk smiled, "in fact the only ulterior motive I had was giving Buffy a week off. Somewhere where she could get away from Sunnydale, having to be the Slayer and Angel. She was getting worse by the day, remember."

"Couldn't you have send her to her father instead," Cordelia said wiping away a tear, "or to Disneyworld? Why involve my Xander? Why don't you go off somewhere with her instead? Why not send Willow along"

"Her father does not want to see her anymore and is off somewhere with his secretary. Visiting an amusement park and seeing other people have fun together would probably just remind her of Angel. I am needed here since we have a little demon related crisis. And Willow has not seen her boyfriend in a long time, this is the only break in the touring schedule of Oz's band. Meanwhile Xander is the only friend she has who is available."

"But why survival?"

"Would you rather have me check the both of them into some Las Vegas hotel?"

"Good point," Cordelia agreed.

"Survival is good for character building," Belmovekk said listing off the points, "it is also hard work so there would be little time to mope around. And doing it with a good friend makes it more of a fun experience."

"OK, but I'm warning you, Belmovekk," Cordelia said, looking fully earnest again, "if they come back together all clingy I'm so going to kick your ass back to the planet of the apes!"

"As you should," Belmovekk agreed, gesturing her to return to the library. No sooner had she turned when he wiped his forehead and sighed in relief.

Women!

x

* * *

x

"What did you wish to talk about, Buffy?" Giles asked as he and Buffy had gone to his office.

"Well, um, look, um, it's not easy," Buffy said uncomfortably

"Just have a seat," gestured Giles to the only other seat, "is it about Angel?"

"Well, no, um, yes, sort of," Buffy said as she sat down, "you see…., how are you and Jenny?"

"Miss Calendar?" Giles said surprised. Of all the turns the conversation could have taken this was not one he had expected.

"There was a time you called her Jenny all the time, Giles."

"That was before the most, um, unfortunate incident with Angel, Buffy," Giles said not knowing what to think, "she lied to us. She lied to you. There can be no going back."

"While I'm not the biggest fan of Jenny, somebody did point out to me that she only did what she felt was her duty," Buffy said uncomfortably, "like this slaying business is my duty."

"Belmovekk?" Giles asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yep," Buffy nodded.

"He does see her a lot," Giles agreed, sunken in thought, "and he did convey that she missed me."

"Go see her, Giles," Buffy said leaning towards Giles, "there is no need for you be miserable on my behalf. I know you still love her, it's written all over your face whenever you two meet. Be happy, Giles, so I know why I fight the good fight."

"A-a-are your sure about this, Buffy?"

"I'm dead serious, you stuffy Brit," Buffy said, got up and took Giles by his tweed coat, "come on, let's summon this bitch so we can get you laid."

"But..."

"No butts, mister. Ritual now! Get on with it!"

As Buffy and Giles rejoined the others in the library Belmovekk and Cordelia also re-entered.

"Baby, have you been crying," Xander asked as he got up and embraced Cordelia.

"Oh Xander, I love you so very much," she replied and buried her head on his shoulder.

"Had a good talk?" Belmovekk asked Buffy.

"Giles is going to summon this demon and then he and Jenny are going to have a good heart to heart," Buffy said, earning an approving look from the Saiyan

"You're going to see Miss Calendar again," Willow said excited, "that is so cool. Cause she misses you a lot you know."

"But I can't just summon this demon," Giles protested. "it's not because I don't want to, I need to get the right things, prepare the ritual."

"Why can't it ever be easy?" Buffy sighed as she rolled her eyes.

"Because like Giles said, there is stuff to consider," Willow said, "following the right rituals, getting the right ingredients. The smallest mistake can lead to everything going pear shaped."

"And how would you know, Will?" Buffy asked suddenly very suspicious.

"Because…., I've seen Giles do it often," answered Willow, suddenly getting all flushed and looking quite guilty.

"No, you're lying, Will," Buffy said as she walked towards Willow and looked her friend up close in the face, "you have un-truth face."

Willow caved in to the pressure immediately.

"OK, I didn't want to tell you but Miss Calendar and I have been hanging out after class sometimes and she's been showing me all these cool websites on magic and how to use spells and stuff cause all I wanted to do is help out a little bit since you're the Slayer and Giles is your watcher and even Xander is now all buff and strong these days and Oz happens to be a werewolf and I just didn't want to feel left behind."

"It just never ceases to amaze me how much she can talk without breathing," Cordelia said shaking her head.

"That's my Willow," Xander smiled and then whispered in her ear, "Jesse called it a Willowgasm."

"Dabbling i-in magic is i-i-irresponsibly dangerous, Willow," Giles said not believing what he just heard.

"What, like you did in your Ripper days of glory?" Buffy said coming to the defense of her friend."

"Precisely because of that," Giles said, "my past nearly got you killed, Buffy, because I had been so careless when I was young and rash. Magic is not to be trifled with. I can't believe that Jenny would be so careless as to introduce you to magic."

"She only showed me those sites because I saw she was busy researching something," Willow said with big guilty looking eyes, "it wasn't really teaching, Giles."

"Thank God for small favors then," Giles said relieved.

"She did say I had great potential for magic," Willow said enthusiastically, "I can do this!"

Willow looked at the table and concentrated.

"Float," she said.

A pencil laying on the table suddenly started to float. It would have impressed everybody greatly if Belmovekk hadn't started to groan out load and grabbed his ears.

"Torak's Teeth!" he yelled, "That hurt, young lady. Did you have to be so loud?"

"Loud? She just floated a pencil," Buffy said surprised.

"Did you not hear that?" Belmovekk said as he gestured towards Willow, "it was deafening! Dead Grolims back in Rak Chtol are probably moaning in their tombs from the noise right now!"

"Hear what," Giles asked surprised.

"Rakoll?" Buffy said puzzled.

"That loud noise?" Belmovekk said not believing that he was the only person in the room to have heard it.

"I didn't hear anything either," Xander said shaking his head.

"My ears hurt like hell," Belmovekk said vehemently, "surely I cannot have imagined that."

"Then what did you hear"?" Giles asked curious.

"A loud ringing noise that.., Torak's Teeth," he said again and gestured Giles to come closer, "Master Giles, come here."

Belmovekk laid his right hand on Giles' forehead.

"Do it again, Willow," Belmovekk said.

"Sure," Willow said, "but it's just a floating pencil. It's not like going Super Saiyan. Float."

As the pencil started to float again both Belmovekk and this time also Giles winced.

"Dear God, Willow" Giles said, "that was deafening. No simple levitation spell should make that kind of racket."

"Oh, but that was no spell, Giles," Willow said looking surprised, "just something I practiced, some pure magic."

"That was no magic," Belmovekk said, "that was sorcery. Classic will and the word. That is why it made such much noise. It may be simple object levitation to you but to every sorcery user its the sonic equivalent of a shotgun going off in your ear."

Keeping his hand on Giles Belmovekk looked at the pencil and said something in his native Saiyan. The pencil again started to float.

"I could hear that," Willow said, "like a tiny bell going of somewhere distant."

"I just can't hear anything," Buffy said feeling left out.

"It seems only sorcerers can," Giles said, "and apparently Willow has just joined that club. But why is she so loud and why are you so soft?"

"I am trained, Master Giles," Belmovekk said as the pencil fell back on the table, "she is not. It is like a baby who is learning to walk. Very ungainly, lots of falling and no grace whatsoever. But she probably has tremendous talent. And you have been practicing this, young lady?"

"At home mostly," Willow said.

"Then how come she gives you an ear bleed here, B-man, but you didn't notice her before?" Xander asked.

"A good question, young man," Belmovekk agreed assuming a thinking pose, "If I had to venture a guess I would say the influence of that damn Hellmouth. The further you get from her, the more the effect would be muffled. We would need to further experiment on that. Maybe outside of its influence. But not now. Young lady, promise me that you are not going to experiment with your new found abilities."

"Why shouldn't she?" Buffy asked, "shouldn't she practice now that she has found her talent? You have us practice all the time."

"Of course she should practice, young lady," the Saiyan countered, "but sorcery is not like chi fighting. If you make a wrong move during practice you could injure a muscle. If she tries something wrong with sorcery she could kill herself. Beldin thinks this is why we encounter so few sorcerers. The secret of the Will and the Word is not that hard to fathom. There have been cases of people stumbling into it. Most make a terrible mistake at some point and kill themselves that way. We must come up with the right training course for her. Find out what her abilities are, what she can do or not."

Belmovekk knelt in front of Willow and took her hands into his.

"Young lady, please be careful," he pleaded, "as soon as we have dealt with this vengeance demon, Master Giles, Miss Calendar and I will try to come up with a training program that will help you develop your talent. Now, please remember this at all time. No matter what, no matter the circumstances, no matter the temptation, do not EVER try to unmake something or somebody. You can create anything you want but the universe will not allow you to unmake things. That power would turn on you instead and unmake you instead. It is not a pretty sight, young lady. Got it?"

Willow nodded, shaken by the danger she could possible face.

"Wait a sec," Buffy said, "you make stuff go poof all the time."

"I am trained, young lady," Belmovekk said without looking at Buffy, "I am not really unmaking things, just dissolving them into separate atoms. It took me thousands of years of practice. It is the sorcerers' way of showing off. Not something you do lightly."

"Listen to what he said, Will," Buffy immediately replied.

"Good. Unfortunately this means we will have to use some of your free time this week to deal with this. So unfortunately this may mean bad news for you and Oz."

Before she could say anything Belmovekk looked at Buffy.

"And no, young lady, this does not mean you well get out of survival."

"But Willow….," Buffy tried to protest.

"The young lady here must focus on her new found abilities. She can do that perfectly well. If she needs to unwind her boyfriend will be perfectly capable of helping her with that," Belmovekk said as he turned towards Giles, "now, Master Giles, how do we summon this vengeance demon?"

Giles closed his eyes and put his hand on his forehead.

"I must get, um, certain herbs and powders which I can't get until tomorrow."

"Why not now?" Xander asked, "there is a magic shop in town."

"Which also happens to be very closed today, Xander," Giles replied casually.

"So no killing the evil demon tonight," Buffy pouted, "it's not fair, I hardly get to slay anything anymore these days."

"Slay this," Belmovekk said and gave her Ray Mears World of Survival, "give it a good read, the both of you, you're going to need it."

"There's only one copy," protested Xander.

"Here" Belmovekk said, touching Buffy's copy with one hand another dropped out of his other hand.

"Show off," Xander snorted.

x

* * *

x

"God," Xander yawned as he stood outside 1630 Revello Drive the next day, "I hate getting up so early in the morning."

"We sometimes go to bed at this time," Buffy said sitting on the veranda, "surely you can get up at such a time."

"Buff, I'm a morning person in the sense that I like to go to bed in the morning, not get up at such a time," Xander again yawned

Buffy nodded, many a late night slaying left her with an aversion to getting up early as well.

"Who would have thought that Willow would turn out to be a sorcerer?" Buffy said absent minded.

"I'm not that surprised," Xander said serious.

"Why not?" Buffy asked surprised, "I'm still shocked."

"Remember the first time when we met Belmovekk and we scanned each other on his scouter," Xander said kicking a rock in Joyce's garden, "I was only an 8, but she already rated 21. And I know I was physically stronger then her. Giles rated 18 and I know I'm also stronger then him. But Giles used to be Ripper. And Ripper dabbled in magic. Which would explain why he was an 18 and I only an 8. And now it explains why Willow was a 21 back then. Her potential already shone through."

"You remembered that?" Buffy said surprised, "God, I worry about you sometimes, Xan."

"Hey, I was the useless one back then," Xander countered, "nobody paid any attention to me. But I heard and saw everything. Just because I like to goofball doesn't mean I don't notice things."

"You were never useless, Xan," Buffy smiled, "you kept our spirits up."

"Why thanks Buff, that is good to hear," Xander said smiling back.

"You were just the weak one we felt who had to be protected," Buffy then said dead serious.

Xander groaned in disgust.

"Now who here has problems keeping their big mouth shut," he finally said, "think before you speak, Buff."

"But it is true," Buffy said not getting what the fuss was about.

"Buff, you don't tell a man he needs to be protected. It's just not done," Xander said shaking his head in disgust, "male ego's are fragile things. It's why I can't sit back like Willow or Giles and let you go out in the night alone. I'd rather die then let my friend, the girl I…., loved, do that."

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about that anymore," Buffy said, "these days you are all butch and strong. You almost kept up with me last time."

"Almost?" Xander snorted, "I was kicking you shapely ass, Buff."

"I just didn't want to step on your fragile male ego, Xan. Still, it was impressive. How did you do it," she asked genuinely curious.

"I used a strategy that Data used on the Next Generation. He fought a superior game master to a standstill by not trying to win but just aim for that standstill. In the end the guy gave up in disgust."

It was a lie but she seemed to believe it.

"I would not have given up, though," she replied after thinking it over.

"I know, Buff, but it was fun while it lasted, right?" Xander smiled.

"Yeah, but one of these days you are going to run out of your box full of Saiyan memory tricks, Xan, and then I'm going to drop a ton of hurt on you," Buffy grinned, then she checked her watch, "I wonder where Belmo is. It's way past the agreed time."

"I am here," the Saiyan voice said from above. He sat hunched on the roof of Buffy's house.

"What are you doing there?" Buffy said as she got up and looked towards him, "we've been waiting all this time!"

"Just enjoying and listening to you guys bonding," the Saiyan replied, who got up and jumped of the roof, landing in front of them, "now, lets see what you guys are planning to bring."

The Saiyan looked into Buffy's bag and started to throw all sorts of things out.

"What on earth were you thinking, young lady? These shoes will absolutely not do. Who brings heels to a wilderness? And that CD player just has to go. Mr. Gordo? OK, he can stay. Make up? Planning to look good for the bears? And these clothes? What were you thinking? Have you even read the survival guide, young lady? Do not bother, I can see you have not. And you, young man, lets see what you were planning to bring along? Comics? Oh, and what a surprise, a retail box full of Twinkies."

The Saiyan threw the box of Twinkies into the air and they vanished into a poof of smoke, causing Xander to whimper.

"These are good sensible cloths, some sensible toiletries," the Saiyan said approvingly, then he gave Xander a suspicious look, "but too good to be true if you ask me."

Belmovekk held Xander's bag upside down and emptied its entire contents on the porch. The last thing to come out was another retail bag of Twinkies. That one followed the fate of its predecessor.

"Close but no close," the Saiyan grinned, then he took Buffy's bag and emptied that as well. From the two piles he took some clothes each and put them all into a single bag.

"Now we are ready," Belmovekk said and put the bag on his back. Then he held out his arms.

"Come, I will carry you both."

"You don't need to carry me," Xander said, "I can flow on my own power."

"I know," Belmovekk said, "but this will be quicker, young man."

Carrying the three of them Belmovekk took off in a blaze of white chi. In no time they had left Sunnydale behind them when the Saiyan transformed to Super Saiyan and kicked it up a notch and within 5 minutes he arrived at his chosen destination. While landing he de-transformed and set his two charges down. He had brought them to a large wilderness forest next to a lake.

"OK," he said as he gestured around them, "the object of this exercise is to evade detection. An overwhelming enemy force with chi detection has arrived. You are to survive in this wilderness for seven days without being detected. That means no use of chi power whatsoever. You are to keep your level down to the barest minimum. I have a scouter set up nearby that will detect the slightest usage of chi. You are to survive using only your wits and the tools you have. In this case one pair of sleeping bags, of fine Rivan design, two pairs of woolen blankets, also of the finest Rivan wool, be it a bit gray, I have a spool of nylon chord here with a set of fishing hooks. "

All these items the Saiyan conjured up on the spot.

"And lastly, one of these, each," the Saiyan said and held up a pair of large sheathed knives of an unfamiliar design.

"Cool, new knives," Buffy said and took hers. It was large, like a machete, but looked more like a Gurkha kukri knife. Only where a kukri has an outward banana shaped curve this one curved like an flat S shape. They were also very light weight.

"These knives are of Saiyan design," Belmovekk said, "they have a very sharp cutting edge that will not get dull and will cut through almost anything. Except a fully powered up chi warrior that is."

"Care to make a wager about that," Buffy said examining her knife. Belmovekk just raised an eyebrow, then transformed back into Super Saiyan and held up his index finger.

"Go."

"It's your finger," Buffy said and swung her knife. It hit the finger but it just bounced off.

"Are you sure it's sharp," she asked suspiciously.

Xander used his and hit a thick tree with it. The knife embedded itself 1/3rds in.

"Oh, I think so, Buff," he said as he pulled out his knife, "the B-man is just made of sterner stuff.

Belmovekk gestured Buffy to give him her knife. As he took it his golden chi enveloped the blade.

"You can fuse a weapon with your chi," he said, "and it becomes an extension of yourself. This is how that kid from the future was able to kill Freeza and turn him into mincemeat. It is not that difficult to do. It is also not that great of an advantage in battle either if you ask me."

He gave her back the knife, then held up his hand and sliced cleanly through a tree sending the tree crashing down

"You see," he said as he de-transformed, "weapons can be fun, but whether or not you need one is a matter of personal battle philosophy. If you want I can teach you certain styles that use bladed weapons. But for now, just survive. Use the gear I gave you. Remember the basics. You will need food, water, shelter and fire. Use Ray Mears wisely. There is water and fish in the lake, and you can set traps to catch small animals. Be careful not to eat or keep any food near your camp as it tends to draw in bears. Now if any of you decided to cheat, the scouter I have rigged up in a hidden place will keep tabs and there will be hell to pay in my gravity gym when you get back. And I am not talking about doing 500 push ups in 50 G's. They will go off at anything over a base level of 10.

So, now you guys are all set up. See you in seven days, have fun!"

Belmovekk smirked, saluted, transformed back into Super Saiyan and flew off.

x

* * *

x

The first thing Giles did that day (besides getting up and have some breakfast of course) was visit Sunnydale's local magic shop. A place he had gotten to know very well these years. He had gotten the right ingredients to summon Vankhnesh and then gone straight to the library.

There he found Belmovekk taking a nap. Giles decided to let the man sleep. It had been a late night when they had discussed how to proceed with Willow's entry in the world of magic and sorcery. Then he had to drop off Xander and Buffy to some Godforsaken place in the boonies. And now soon he'd probably had to stare down a vengeance demon. Something the Watcher's Council told its Watchers was best better to avoid.

So Giles put the kettle on in his office to make them some tea and proceeded to prepare everything for the ritual. He laid the book containing instructions of the ritual on the table and set up whatever he could without actually starting. When he was ready he went back into his office and sat down for a cup of tea and relaxed. As he looked outside the window he couldn't help but think that it was another nice and sunny day. It was however always a bloody nice and sunny day here in California. God, there were just too many sunny days, and he really missed being in miserable and drab old England at moments like this.

He sat there for some twenty minutes, then poured himself another cup of tea and another one as well. Taking both cups he went into the library and awoke the Saiyan.

"If you will go to Z'ha'dum you will…" Belmovekk said absentminded as he got roused from his sleep, "damn, I must have fallen asleep."

The Saiyan then shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

"You already were asleep when I got in," Giles said and offered him a cup, "Tea?"

"Thank you," Belmovekk smiled as he accepted the cup, "I could use some right now. Is everything ready?"

Giles nodded. He sat down next to the Saiyan and they both drank their tea in silence.

"You make fine tea, Rupert," the Saiyan said after enjoying several sips, "As usual."

"Thanks, Giles said, then not able to contain his curiosity, "What is this Z'ha'dum?"

"Pardon?"

"When I woke you, you said something about going to Z'ha'dum."

"Did I?" Belmovekk said surprised, then he shrugged, "it is nothing, just Xander with his stupid videos. If its something called science fiction and it is been on television, he will have a copy of it lying about somewhere. Which I must see of course, as Sunnydale's resident alien from outer space. Most of the time I fall asleep watching anyway."

"Then why don't you tell him to stop showing you his collection," Giles asked.

"The kid is nice company," Belmovekk smiled, "Plus he, and the girls have decided that Friday night is video night at my place. To be honest I would rather watch Xander's science fiction videos then some of the sugar sweet stuff the girls come up with. If I have to fall asleep to Pretty Woman one more time I swear I will spontaneously transform into Ozaru. By the Gods! I thought Arends had a patent on sentimental drivel. They are nothing compared to Hollywood. Please tell me there are lots of demons there so I have an excuse to flatten it?"

He looked so earnest Giles couldn't help but smile.

"If only we we're so lucky," Giles said, "although the council does suspect that some of the monsters we see in horror movies don't actually come from the special effects department."

"Nothing surprises me anymore on this planet! So, have you spoken to Jenny yet," Belmovekk said, while doing an impression of Monty Python's wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more sketch.

"I take it I have you to thank for Buffy's change of heart," Giles said while trying to keep up a stiff British upper lip.

"I may have said a few words to her," Belmovekk smirked, "so have you spoken to her yet?"

"I'm not sure," Giles said taking another sip, "a large part of me still thinks she lied to us."

"We all lie, Rupert," the Saiyan said, "A fool is he who never lies once in his life."

"Yes, but there are lies and there are lies, Belmovekk. Some are not that easy to forgive."

"I have heard an interesting saying here that said to forgive is divine," Belmovekk said and turned his eyes upward so he could look at the ceiling, "The Christian concept of forgiveness. Most interesting I must say. To forgive, not to ease the burden on others, but to ease the burden on yourself, that is a beautiful concept, Rupert. She is a nice girl who knows she made a mistake. Do not be a repressed stuffy Brit. Do not make me go Polgara on you. Cause I will lock the two of you up for weeks on end and believe me, you will come out more in love then a bunch of hormone driven teenage students."

"I can handle my own love life very much, thank you very much," Giles snorted, "and for your information I was going to give her a call. Shouldn't you be more concerned in repairing the shattered remains of your own love life?"

Belmovekk just smirked some more.

"I will have you know it is not as bad as you think, Rupert. In fact Joyce even invited me over for dinner a few nights ago. Granted, she also invited Xander but the kid is practically her son anyway."

"Oh, so the news isn't all quiet on the Summers front then," Giles asked interested, "how did you pull it off?"

"I guess she did need some time to cope," Belmovekk replied as he put his empty cup down, "she did tell me that what convinced her I might make a good father was the way I told Buffy to get over what Jenny had done so the two of you could get together again."

"Women," Giles sighed, "they make less sense then an army of Shrek demons. And they don't make a lot of sense I can tell you that. Most illogical demon species ever. So, before you know you will be up to your ears in diapers, sleepless nights and baby powder."

"Yeah," Belmovekk sighed dreamily, "Is it not wonderful?"

"I guess it's time to fire up the old pot and summon us a vengeance demon," Giles said and emptied his cup of tea. Belmovekk nodded in agreement .They got up and walked towards where Giles had laid out all the necessary stuff.

"According to this book we must seize her power center and she will be powerless," Giles said as he did a last minute check, "destroy it and all of the recent wishes she's granted will be reversed."

"Seems simple," Belmovekk nodded as he leaned on the table, "so what is it?"

"The power center? That it doesn't say," Giles said scratching his hair.

"I guess it was too much to expect a simple solution," the Saiyan sighed, "Ah well , there is always the old 'reverse everything or die horribly, bitch!' approach."

"Well, logically in order to seize something it must be external," Giles theorized, "otherwise it would be sort of hard to take."

"Oh, you would be surprised Rupert how much you can grab internally if you apply the right pressure," Belmovekk smirked.

Having heard the story of how Belmovekk had tortured that Tarakan Giles couldn't help but shudder. The Saiyan was almost always courteous, formal and polite, but occasionally he betrayed his brutal Saiyan ancestry.

Using a Bunsen burner he'd liberated from the science department Giles brought a goblet with a special liquid to the boil. Then he started to take from the various ingredients he had bought and added them to the liquid.

"I have always wondered," Belmovekk asked curious, "is there any purpose to all this herbal stuff or is it mere folklore?"

"If it was mere folklore I wouldn't be doing it," Giles said, "it's meant to appease the demon. And please, don't interrupt from now on."

As he added more herbs and powders to the mix Giles started to chant the summoning ritual.

"Vankhnesh.. I beseech thee... In the name of all who suffer from their in-laws, come before me!"

Nothing happened.

"How, how can t-t-this be?" Giles said nervously and studied the book again, "I-I-I did everything correctly?"

"Ahum," Belmovekk coughed, who had cupped his right elbow with his left hand to support his right hand upholding his chin. While doing so he pointed with one finger towards the bookcases behind Giles.

"What." Giles said and turned around and saw a woman of Indian origin, but in modern western dress, sitting on top of one his book cases.

"Oh dear."

"Give me one good reason not to kill you," the woman said irritated and hopped off the bookcase.

"I can think of one," Belmovekk said and out of nowhere handed her a large paper.

"What is this," she read, "no killing? What in the hell is going on here?"

"Some little thing we have in this town," Belmovekk smirked.

"The Slayer is involved in this?" she said after finishing the paper, "The Slayers have always stayed out of our way. The Watchers have known better then to interfere in our business? This girl is clearly mad just because she's been around longer then most!"

As she got agitated Vankhnesh grew more and more demonic and less and less human in appearance, dark veins spreading in her face.

"That is because the rules have changed, dear girl," Belmovekk continued, "by the way, I loved what you did with your in-laws. A fitting punishment for what they tried to do to you."

She ignored his blatant attempt at flattery.

"In what way have the rules changed, insect," she asked angry.

"This time I am around," the Saiyan said and his smirk turned from friendly smirk to deadly evil. Also a chi fire surrounded him sending a strong breeze though the library. Somewhat shaken in response Vankhnesh stepped back. And in doing so she inadvertently put her right hand on her chest between her breasts. Where Giles could see that she had a small gold chain around her neck holding a small medallion.

"The medallion," Giles said and pointed to it, "it's her power center!"

"What..," she said. Before she could react Belmovekk moved lightning fast and grabbed the medallion, holding it up triumphantly.

"Now, I would like you to reverse any wishes you have granted that hurt or killed humans in my area," Belmovekk said, "or I will crush this!"

"No," the vengeance demon now said desperately, "please, don't destroy it! It's all I have left of him!"

"All the more reason to do as I say, demon," Belmovekk smirked.

"ENOUGH," a deep bassy thundering voice said. A portal opened on the wall behind them, grew in size and then it swallowed both the vengeance demon and Belmovekk whole. Leaving Giles behind as the chi fire generated winds died down in Belmovekk's absence.

"Oh dear!"

x

* * *

x

Belmovekk suddenly found himself and Vankhnesh in a vast expanse of black nothingness.

"WHO DARES TO MEDDLE WITH US?" the voice boomed again.

Belmovekk raised his power to just below Super Saiyan. Better to keep something in reserve he thought.

"You would be surprised by what I dare," he yelled back, trying to sound confident.

There came no answer in reply, although Vankhnesh started to pace in sullen resignation, muttering to herself.

"I still hold her power center," Belmovekk said.

Suddenly a demon appeared. He was horned, wore a great white beard and wore red robes. He reminded Belmovekk of what a mix between Belgarath and a demon would be like.

"It is you," the demon said as he seemed to recognize the Saiyan.

"You know me?" Belmovekk said surprised.

"Oh, you'd be surprised how much we know," the demon said, "we're like the mafia, we're everywhere. You are the Golden One. Although not right now. And not like the other one, he is relatively harmless."

"It wasn't my fault, D'Hoffryn," Vankhnesh said and knelt down at his feet," they summoned me through the ritual, he was too fast. I."

"Silence," the demon she just called D'Hoffryn said, "don't lower yourself when an outsider is present! Even one as mighty as this. You're a vengeance demon. Act like one!"

Still softly muttering to herself Vankhnesh got up.

"And you are this D'Hoffryn she speaks off?" the Saiyan asked.

The demon sighed.

"Now see what you did," he said to Vankhnesh, "now he knows my name."

It suddenly dawned upon Belmovekk. With some supernaturals knowing their name gave you power over them. So he started to sport his most infuriatingly arrogant smirk, the one that drove Buffy nuts every time during sparring, and he started to swing Vankhnesh medallion around his finger as if it meant nothing.

"So I reckon you are her boss then?" he smirked outrageously.

The demon gave Vankhnesh the evil eye and then sighed.

"Yes, I'm the first of all vengeance demons."

"Pleased to meet you then, D'Hoffryn," Belmovekk smirked, "your little vengeance girl did some naughty things in my town. Could not let that happen, old chap."

Out of nowhere he gave D'Hoffryn a copy of the same paper he had given Vankhnesh earlier.

"I know of your edict, Golden One," D'Hoffryn said as he crumpled it and threw it away, "we are above the fight between the Slayer and the darkness. We serve neither light nor dark. Only justice and vengeance.

"There are those who say that vengeance and justice are not the same thing, old chap," Belmovekk said and wished he had something to lean upon to look even more casual. The irony of which wasn't lost on him.

"That is something so called civilized people delude themselves with," D'Hoffryn countered, "justice is always and foremost about exacting vengeance, Golden One."

"So, how do you happen to know that particular name, vengeance pimp?"

"We do quite a lot of work with Gypsies."

"Ah. I can imagine," Belmovekk said, From what he read Gypsies had been at the receiving end of a lot of shit throughout the ages.

"Look, we are not evil," D'Hoffryn said, "you'd be surprised how many demons and people have sought our aid against the Slayer or even recently against you. Naturally we abstain. We're into helping people who are wronged getting vengeance. Not taking sides in conflicts. Otherwise there would no end to it."

"A noble policy but not when it happens in my town," Belmovekk said, still twirling Vankhnesh's medallion, "as you may have noticed we have laid down the law there. People get hurt by demons, demons get hurt in return. People get killed by demons, demons die. Your little vengeance disciple here broke the law which we have diligently upheld so far."

"I can see your point, Golden One," D'Hoffryn said, "it's a convincing case. But we are hurting no one who doesn't deserve what's coming to them. Like I said, we are not evil. We've always sympathized with the Slayers throughout the ages. We just re-address slight imbalances that crop up here and there from time to time. Not even the Powers That Be have taken offense to that. In fact they have sanctioned our work. And since you aid the Slayer that puts you in their camp."

That answer surprised Belmovekk who had no clue who those powers were. But he decided on keeping a straight poker face.

"That is all nice and well, vengeance pimp, but my only allegiance is to the God Aldur," Belmovekk said calmly, "And even though the Slayer does works for them, these Powers do not pay her bills, nor do they suffer the consequences. In my place demons do not get to hurt people. Period!"

"Why are you so unreasonable?" D'Hoffryn said getting a little impatient, "Vankhnesh is only interested in helping the little people. Can't we reach a compromise? Your edict doesn't cover the planet. If you can live with demons and vampires killing people elsewhere, surely you can live with us dealing out some much deserved punishment here and there. After all, what balance is there if humans get to do everything while demons get punished for the slightest infracture?"

"There may be some merit to that, vengeance pimp," Belmovekk agreed, "but I want to lay down some ground rules."

"Would you mind if I bring in my lawyer for that," D'Hoffryn asked hopeful.

"You have a lawyer?" Belmovekk asked surprised. There just seemed to be no escaping the rulefuckers.

"One of the best," D'Hoffryn said, "from Wolfram & Hart."

Figures, thought Belmovekk. He may be new on the planet but even he had quickly learned of this evil law firm.

"I have heard of those guys. They're evil. So I would rather you kept them out. Also lawyers have a way of complicating things with endless loopholes. I prefer to keep things clean and simple. Firstly, no human gets killed unless they have killed another human. Period. Secondly, no human gets permanently hurt unless they have hurt another human being permanently. Period. Thirdly, my friends and their family are off limits. Period. And lastly I want to receive a report once a month of all activities by your vengeance disciples in my neck of the woods so I can keep an eye on things. And do not forget the last rule of the edict. If any of you learn of evil plots being hatched against me, my friends, people in my neck of the woods I want to receive word of it. Cause if I learn you knew I come down on you guys like a ten ton hammer."

"Those are quite stern measures, Golden One," D'Hoffryn said shaking his head.

"Take it or leave it and go somewhere far else from here," Belmovekk smirked as he twirled the medallion.

"Just for the sake of argument," D'Hoffryn said stroking his heard, "define your neck of the woods and friends?"

"Sunnydale, and a fifty mile zone around it or wherever me and my friends wish to relocate if we ever leave that place. In which case the same kind of zone applies. My friends are the group known as the Scoobies, Goku and his merry band. And it might be wise not to pester a certain group of people commanded by a certain general that I know."

"You drive a hard bargain, Golden One," D'Hoffryn sighed, "it might even more cost effective to withdraw from that area altogether. You must give me something. We don't want to be held responsible for any unforeseen accidents resulting from our wishes. Even in your neck of the woods."

"They must be very unforeseen. I will not have you people hide behind sloppy work. Also I do not take kindly against breaking the spirit of the agreement while hiding behind the letter of the agreement. Lawyerlike behavior I will not stand for."

"Who does?" D'Hoffryn said understanding the sentiment, "but I also want protection for my demons in case learning of any plot against you, your friends or the world, puts them in danger. And we're also not responsible for anything the Powers That Be try to pull. You are powerful, Golden One, but not that powerful."

"Only if they do not try to use you or your demons to get to us," countered Belmovekk.

"Agreed," D'Hoffryn said and held out his hand. Belmovekk took it and shook it.

"I don't see why you get so all mighty about hurting humans though," D'Hoffryn said afterwards, "it's not as if you're above killing them. I wonder what the Slayer and her watcher would do if they learned what you do when you leave Sunnydale. I reckon you've already killed more humans since coming here then most vampires ever do."

That surprised Belmovekk. These vengeance demons really did know their stuff.

"You can try to tell but then I would have to kill you as well, old chap," he said, with a voice that was devoid of any emotion, "everyone I killed on this planet deserved to die. Every drugs dealer selling drugs to children I came upon, every pimp exploiting women I came upon, every abuser of women and children I found, every murderer that got away that I found, every robber that I found, they all deserved to die. It was justice."

"Of course they did," D'Hoffryn smiled, "and I would offer you a job in a second if I didn't know that yours is a more direct approach then waiting for a wish. Too bad for you there are no redemption demons. And also to bad she would never understand. It's hardwired into her. Protect all humans from vampires and demons. To bad she can't see that humanity can do a pretty sick job on itself without them."

"Which is why I cannot really fault your lot. Catch," Belmovekk said and threw the medallion back to Vankhnesh who was both surprised and happy to get it back.

"But now that she knows you guys are out there she may feel compelled to do something about it," he continued, "even though you guys are way out of her league. And please do not be too hard on Vankhnesh. D'Hoffryn. So she gave away your name. You know damning stuff about me. Be a good boy around Sunnydale and we can all be happy."

D'Hoffryn stroked his beard some more for a while to ponder things.

"As a gesture of good will I can tell you of at least three things that can target you or your friends," D'Hoffryn said, "keep a good eye on the good people who officially run that town of yours. They know more then you think. Keep a good eye on that vampire you keep on a leash, it maybe too long. Also you should ask your pet watcher something about what happens to your Slayer when she turns 18."

And with those words D'Hoffryn disappeared and Belmovekk and Vankhnesh found themselves back in the library. While she treasured her medallion Belmovekk saw that Giles had been highly worried.

"What in Gods name happened?" Giles asked.

"The supreme vengeance demon and I had a talk," Belmovekk said casually, "we have come to an agreement."

"And her?" Giles said as he pointed towards Vankhnesh.

"She will be a good little vengeance demon from now on. Will she not?"

"I'll do as you requested, Golden One," she said in response and bowed. Then she disappeared.

Belmovekk then proceeded to fill Giles in on what kind of deal he'd struck.

"Oh dear," he said, "are you sure it's wise to give them that much leeway?"

"At least this way we know what they are doing, and no innocents gets hurt where we could have been forced to stop them. We get some useful information from time to time and get to concentrate on the more dangerous vampires and demons."

"Surely the edict covers them as well?"

Belmovekk didn't answer the question and went to stand in front of the window looking outside.

"I have a bad feeling, Rupert," he finally said looking back over his shoulder, "I suspect the edict may run its course one day and we may find that powerful adversaries have used it to sneak up on us. The stronger we get, the greater of a challenge we become to some who previously ignored us. I have this nagging feeling that we are on the eve of a great storm. We should ready our defenses and enjoy what free time we have left."

x

* * *

x

At the research lab of the Sunnydale natural history museum curator Doug Perren hunched in front of a great dark slab of stone. He was not the only one as several of his colleagues surround him.

"Amazing," the curator said, "this thing is clearly ancient. It conforms to none of the native cultures that had their home here. And to think it was found right here in Sunnydale."

"It's going to overturn all theories about native-American cultures," an intern said, "these markings look more Indo-European then anything found in the America's."

"We need an expert," another intern said, "this goes way beyond what we can do."

"I know just the expert," the curator said, "he used to work at the British Museum, knows just about every dead language you can think off, and best of all, at least for us that is, nowadays he works at the local high school library of all places."

x

* * *

x

AN 2017: Yeah, I think this one still holds up pretty well after the years.


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

**Chapter Twenty four**

 **'Becoming'**

x

x

AN 2017: _The final two chapters for this part. What a ride it has been to redo this story. Odd how you could originally work on something for more then a year and then feel embarrassed by it for many more._

x

* * *

x

"Buffy, do you happen to know where Belmovekk is?"

Buffy looked up from doing her homework assignment together with Willow in the library, Xander and Cordelia doing something else, as a very worried looking Giles had returned from spending a morning being somewhere else.

"Why hello back, Giles, how my day was? Fine I might say, especially with Snyder breathing down my neck all day," she said pointing at the back of her neck.

"And she's using sarcastic quote marks there," Xander added eagerly with a big grin.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Buffy," Giles said, massaging his forehead as he nurtured a growing headache, "It's just that I've just been to the natural history museum and seen a very nasty surprise."

"How nasty?" Cordelia asked concerned.

"Let me venture out on a limb here and postulate that it requires lot's of dusty old books, late nights, lot's of caffeine, Twinkies and the services of a certain Super Saiyan," Xander said as in answer to her question.

"Despite you again raping the Queen's English in the most terrible way you are quite right, Xander," Giles said as he took off his coat.

"And they say I never study," Xander smiled to Cordelia.

"Wait a second, postulate," Buffy asked looking at Xander.

"My new word of the day," the young man smiled.

"Well hitting the books is fun, isn't it?" Willow said looking eagerly around her. Xander however was already making pencil through the eye gestures in response.

"It's not the actual research work that worries me, Will," Xander said downcast, "it's the ensuing wackiness, mayhem and destruction that follows."

"So, in all reverence to your bad day, Buffy," Giles tried again, massaging his forehead, "do you happen to know where Belmovekk is?"

"He and my mom sort of took off on a date," Buffy said slightly uncomfortable.

"Hey, so they're finally back together," Xander said, smiling again, "good for the B-man! When did that happen?"

"During our trip to survivor island," Buffy said, "It would seem that Belmo came by the house with a bottle of wine and they talked things out "

"On a date?" Giles sighed shaking his head, "Speaking of bad timing."

"Well, not if you want to hook up with the woman carrying your child," Willow said.

"And define hook up not as a one night stand but something way more 'permanent'" Xander quickly added with a big grin.

Buffy groaned and hit the table with her forehead in response.

"Thank you, guys" she said bumping her head, "thank you for reminding me what I'm trying to repress all day."

"Sorry, Buffy, but isn't it kinda romantic?" Willow smiled.

"I'm not having this conversation," Buffy said, continuing with the bumpage.

"Then perhaps do you happen to know where they were going?" Giles asked.

"He just took her in his arms and flew away somewhere east," Buffy answered, finally giving up on her bumpathon.

"Isn't that sweet?" Willow said dreamily.

"I hear the Grand Canyon is nice this time of the year," Xander smiled, followed by the sounds of Buffy hitting the table again.

"This is most unfortunate," Giles said, "did he take his cell phone with him?"

"The B-man doesn't believe in taking along cell phones. If it is that important people will call back later," Xander said while doing a Belmovekk impersonation.

"His scouter then?" Giles asked, "They have transmitters built into them, right?"

"He didn't have one with him when he left," Buffy replied shaking her head.

Giles started to mutter some authentic English vernacular.

"Easy on the Ripper, Giles. Besides, we're still here," Xander said.

"No offense, Xander, but I'm not even sure you or Buffy can handle this. This calls for the, um , big guns," Giles replied and went into his office.

"OK, raise your hands if like me you are now officially worried," Xander said. They all raised their hands.

The doors to the library opened and in walked Jenny Calendar carrying a newspaper.

"Oh, hi, Miss Calendar," Willow smiled. The others greeted her as well, except for Buffy who just grunted something non-commitantly. She may have given Giles the green light to resume their relationship, it didn't mean she had to be overly friendly to the bi..., person who wasn't exactly on her most favorite person list.

"Hi guys," Jenny said looking around, "is Rupert here?"

"He's in his office, feeling sorry for himself," Xander pointed.

"OK," Jenny said slightly puzzled, then she walked into Giles' office.

"Rupert?" she said.

Giles looked up from sitting slightly depressed in his chair, playing with his glasses.

"Oh, hi, Jenny," he said sullen, "if this is about our date tomorrow, now is not a good time."

"I know," she said and slammed the newspaper on top of his desk, "we have a problem."

Giles put on his glasses and read the headline.

"Oh, dear," he muttered.

x

* * *

x

"Well, what do you know," a vampire said in a deep and buried place underneath Sunnydale as he read the morning paper's headline.

 _'Mysterious Obelisk Unearthed. Excavators Discover Ancient Artifact'._

x

* * *

x

It was late in the afternoon, nearly evening, when finally a dot in the sky appeared. The dot quickly turned man shaped, then descended and finally turned into Belmovekk and Joyce landing in front of Revello Drive 1630. Both of them were giggling like schoolchildren, until they saw the welcoming committee waiting impatiently for them on the front porch. Even though they had made it comfortable for themselves sitting on the swinging couch, with ice tea.

And cheesy chips.

"Where the hell have you been," Giles yelled as he walked towards the couple fuming with anger.

"Well, hello dad, I would like you to meet my girlfriend, Joyce," the Saiyan grinned.

"Don't you get funny with me, you Saiyan twit," Giles yelled, "I have been worried all day. A situation has arisen and I desperately needed your help. Would it have killed you to either carry a bloody cell phone or your bloody scouter!"

"He's seriously channeling Ripper right now," Buffy said to her friends and walked up to her mother, "come, mom, let these grownups have their talk. I've made some ice tea. And if you don't give me any details you can tell me what your day has been."

"Go with her," Belmovekk said and kissed Joyce on the forehead, "I will work it out with Master Giles."

"Be gentle," Joyce smiled and went to sit with the rest of the Scoobies as they enjoy the show.

"So, Joyce," Xander grinned moving his hands like in a mock dance before him, "got lucky today? Auw!"

Willows elbow again hit its target swiftly, silently and deadly.

"Why do I keep sitting next to you?" Xander groaned at Willow as he rubbed his ribs.

"So where did you go?" Cordelia asked, "hey, why are you looking so funny at me? I care."

"In some alternate universe maybe?" Xander snorted, "auw!"

Cordelia's elbow also hit its target equally swift, silently and deadly.

"Oh, he took me to the Grand Canyon. It looks so nice this time of year," Joyce replies kinda dreamy, "and then we went to Las Vegas for lunch."

"I knew it," Xander said triumphantly, "I knew it! Didn't I say the Grand Canyon?"

"Then why don't you ever take me there, Xander," Cordelia asked, "you can fly right?"

"Not all the way carrying you, honey," Xander replied, "unless you want the trip to take a week."

"You should train more," Cordelia snorted, "what good are you if you can't even take me along."

"You didn't get married, right," Buffy asked slightly worried.

"No sweetie," Joyce replies and hugged her daughter, "we just talked."

"About what?"

"Everything. Stuff. About the baby, what it would mean for us in the future. About us, about you. You know, the stuff you talk about when on dates."

"With the occasional smoochies, right?" Willow smiled.

"You're not helping, Will," Buffy sighed.

x

* * *

x

"Look here," Giles said to Belmovekk, "you can't just go back and forth all the time and not leave us a means to contact you."

"Why, Master Giles, have I not been doing this for quite some time now?" Belmovekk replied with a big grin on his face.

"And look how many things you've missed which you could have prevented if we could have contacted you," Giles countered, "like Angel turning into Angelus."

"With all due respect, Master Giles, I had nothing to do with that," the Saiyan said folding his arms, "that would have happened regardless. Maybe if you had stepped in on time that relationship could have been nipped in the bud. It was already going strong before I ever arrived in town."

"Alright, maybe that was not the best example," Giles admitted but he knew he had a valid point, "but surely you can agree that with the current situation it would be prudent to always carry a means of contacting you?"

"Master Giles, Rupert, you are like a brother to me, but I cannot always be there," Belmovekk said as he put an arm on Giles' shoulder, "you did manage on your own before I came. Surely you could do so without me again. In the name of the Gods, I have trained both Buffy and Xander to the best of my abilities. They are the best they can be right. But I do have other responsibilities."

"Yes, I know," Giles nodded, "the danger you've been sent to fight, and those damn androids in two years time. Look, Belmovekk, it's not that I would bother you with every apocalypse but I do think this case warrants your special talents."

"Alright," Belmovekk sighed after some thinking "tell me your emergency."

x

* * *

x

"His name is Acathla," Giles said to the assembled Scoobies seated around the dinner table in Buffy's living room, "once Acathla the demon came forth to swallow the world. He was killed just in time by a virtuous knight who pierced the demon's heart before he could draw a breath to perform the act. Acathla turned to stone, as demons sometimes do, and was buried where neither man nor demon would want to look."

"Let me guess," Buffy said, looking around the dinner table, "right here on the Hellmouth. Amongst all the other wonderfully fun and disastrous artifacts."

"You are of course correct," Giles said, sighing internally at the folly to bury such a dangerous demon at a Hellmouth of all places.

"See, and they say I don't study!" Buffy said as she looked around again triumphantly.

"If demonology was a course you'd have an A, Buff," Xander smiled.

"Isn't this exciting?" Joyce asked, slightly pumped up with excitement, getting some weird looks in response.

"So what is unearthed this thing?" Belmovekk asked. In response to which Giles slammed today's newspaper on the table in response.

"Damn developers," Xander muttered as he read the article, "low cost housing? Houses already cost next to nothing here. I smell money laundering!"

"OK, somebody explain the whole 'he will suck the world into Hell' thing," Willow babbled, "because that's the part I'm not loving."

"Well, the…, uh…," Giles said, straightening his glasses, "the Demon Universe exists in a dimension separate from our own. With one breath, Acathla will create a vortex, a-a kind of, um.. whirlpool that will pull everything on Earth into that dimension, where any non-demon life will suffer horrible and.. eternal torment."

"Charming," Xander said.

"And this happens to you guys all the time?" Joyce asked both curious and shocked at the same time.

"Pretty much," Buffy said, "and guess who gets to clean up the mess."

"Well, not this time, Buffy," Giles said looking her, "it is prophesized that neither man nor demon can destroy Acathla. That is why he was buried. But luckily for us Belmovekk here isn't human."

"Human enough to knock up my mom," Buffy snorted.

"Buffy!" her mother said shocked.

"I can see now why you needed my help, Master Giles," the Saiyan nodded, then he stood up, "Alright, let us get this over with. Time to go the museum."

"Right. Let's go," Giles said as he gathered together his papers.

"If you don't mind I'll stay here and whip up something for when you guys return," Joyce said, "this may sound exciting on paper but it's probably going to give me nightmares."

"You stay and hold the fort, Joyce," Belmovekk said tenderly, causing Buffy to make a fake vomit face behind their back when suddenly the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Joyce said. She left to open the door as the Scoobies prepared to move out.

"Oh, Buffy," Joyce called from the door, "somebody's here to see you."

The Scoobies turned around and saw who entered.

"Oh no," Buffy groaned in response and started hitting the table with her forehead again.

It was Kendra.

"Let me guess," Buffy said after she had composed herself and started imitating Kendra's accent, "a terrible dark power is rising over Sunnydale, right?"

"Right," Kendra smiled as she put down her travel bag.

"Don't you ever go on a holiday, girl?" Buffy asked.

"Evil never sleeps, Buffy," Kendra replied as she took off her coat.

"Doesn't mean you have to bring it along," Buffy retorted.

x

* * *

x

That evening Jenny Calendar sat by her desk in her classroom preparing the lesson plans for the next weeks when she heard a strange noise. She got up and opened the door to peer into the empty corridor. She couldn't see anything though. Put at ease she closed the door and returned to her desk when she saw two persons stand in her classroom. Angel and Drusilla.

"Angel…," she exclaimed in shock, "how did you get in here?"

"I was invited," the vampire smiled, "the sign in front of the school.. 'Formatia trans sicere educatorum.'"

"'Enter all ye who seek knowledge.'" Jenny translated without even thinking.

"What can I say? I'm a knowledge seeker," Angelus grinned as he started to walk around her classroom.

"You can't do this...," Jenny said frightened, "the edict..."

"Well, things are going to change here," Angelus said as he examined her computer up close, "me and Dru here have decided that it's time for a new management to take over."

"Belmovekk won't stand for this," Jenny said as she carefully inched back towards the door. Drusilla however noticed and walked towards the door to take up station there. Smiling.

"I don't care," Angelus laughed, "you see, a little birdie told me that it is you who has the curse, not him."

"You can't destroy the curse, Angel, my clan also has it."

"I know," Angelus said, "but only you can perform it right now. Belmovekk is only a moderate sorcerer at best, not schooled in Gypsy magic. And even if he could, if I take if from you that big ape won't be able to perform the curse in time. Enough time for me to bring down the walls of Jericho."

"Acathla," Jenny whispered almost inaudibly.

"Oh, she is smart," Angelus smiled towards Drusilla, "but of course, just in case that big ape and his tame Slayer do manage to find another Gypsy hag I'd like to have your copy of that curse."

"I don't have it here," Jenny lied.

"Sure you do. It's probably in this little box over here," Angelus smiled as he tapped her computer.

"I will never tell," Jenny said defiantly, her eyes desperately looking for a weapon.

"Of course you will," Angelus replied as he sat on her desk, "maybe not to me right now. But everybody talks when tortured. Unfortunately I'm a bit pressed for time tight now so I brought Drusilla along."

The vampiress walked over to Jenny Calendar until their faces were close and she stared deeply into Jenny's eyes, holding up two fingers.

"Look at me," she said.

x

* * *

x

"So how's life, Kendra?" Xander asked, as they all sat in Joyce's SUV. Giles had suggested taking his ragged down Citroen but Buffy and the others wouldn't hear none of it. So in the end Joyce had sighed and given them the keys.

"Lots of training, especially with tese new exercises," Kendra responded looking at Belmovekk, sitting up front with Giles, "and den there are still plenty of vampires and demons to kill."

"Even where you are?" Belmovekk asked looking over his shoulder

"Evil is afoot everywhere, teacher," she responded respectfully.

"Weird," the Saiyan said, "if there are vampires and demons everywhere then what is the point of having that single girl, all alone, fighting evil?"

"Tradition?" Xander suggested.

"A vast conspiracy to make my life miserable?" Buffy suggested.

"Still not come to terms with your calling?" Kendra asked her fellow Slayer.

"Still not having a life besides slaying?" Buffy asked back.

"Well, me watcher did take me to a movie, last week," Kendra smiled, "dere wasn't even any fighting in it!"

"Color me impressed," Buffy said, "what did you do? Hold a knife to his throat?"

"And we was going to a big dance, next week," Kendra continued, "but den dis came up."

"Auch," Buffy said apologetic, "I'd hate to rain on your parade, girl."

"It's OK, Buffy," Kendra said, "dere will be others."

"That's the spirit," Xander said enthusiastic, "first slay, then partay!"

"OK, we're here," Giles said and drove the SUV to the back of the old antiquities section of the Mayor Wilkins Sunnydale Museum of Natural History. The place looked utterly deserted.

"Is it normal for the backdoor to be open," Xander asked as he pointed in towards the door in question, "and all the lights out?"

"Oh dear, this is bad," Giles said as he took stock of the situation.

"No time to waste then," Belmovekk said, "Xander, young lady, with me, Kendra protect Giles and the girls."

"Even now he still won't say my name," Buffy sighed as she got out.

"When do I ever learn not to come along?" Cordelia muttered.

"Sorry, babe, gotta go," Xander said and wormed himself from underneath Cordelia.

The three of them jumped from the car and ran to the door. Since they came from Buffy's home she was the only one to have brought a scouter along.

"I do not feel anything," Belmovekk said halting at the entrance, "do you scout anything, young lady?"

"Nope, it seems deserted," Buffy said tapping her scouter.

"Let me be the first to say I do not like this," Xander said.

"Dully noted," the Saiyan said, "lets go in, young man, you form the rear."

"The rear is good, right?" Xander said to Buffy, "Point guy usually gets it."

"Unless it's a Rambo or a horror flick," Buffy said, "then the last guy always gets it."

"You guys watch way too many movies," the Saiyan said and entered the building. Finding no surprises they made their way quickly to the research lab. Inside it was as quiet and dark as the grave. All they find is a huge box covered in cloth.

"Acathla, I presume," Xander said as he and Belmovekk walked up to it

"Let me switch on the light," Buffy said and flicked the light switch, "there, that's better."

"No it's not," Xander said and pointed to a puddle of blood coming from underneath the coverings. Belmovekk grabbed the cloth and yanked it away. What got revealed wasn't the coffin of Acathla but a box containing the dead bodies of the research lab staff. On one of the bodies lay an envelope. Xander grabbed it and opened it.

"Bastard," he yelled angrily and handed it to Belmovekk, who started cursing in his native language.

"What," Buffy asked. Belmovekk gave her the paper. On it are just two words, written in blood in a familiar handwriting.

 _'Now, Lover!'_

"Angel," Buffy said sadly, her world instantly dying a bit. Staggering backwards she can vaguely hear Xander yell at the background as everything now became distant to her.

"Bastard! Let's kill the bastard this time! Fuck the edict! Fuck whatever she may think!"

"But this makes no sense," an utterly surprised Belmovekk said, "he would know we would…., NO! By the Gods, Jenny!"

"Let's go!" Xander yelled.

"You go ahead," Belmovekk said. Xander nodded in agreement and as his chi blazed brightly he took off, crashing through a window on his way to school. Meanwhile the Saiyan turned to Buffy, still in shock.

"Young lady, he said grabbing her by the shoulders, "snap out of it!"

Buffy looked at Belmovekk, tears in her eyes.

"This is my fault," she cries, "If I hadn't."

"Not now, young lady, not ever," Belmovekk said, "if anything this is my fault. Go to Giles, tell them Angelus has taken Acathla and that Jenny is in danger. Drive to the school. Hurry!"

Buffy wiped away her tears and did as she was told. Behind her Belmovekk transformed into Super Saiyan and flew off, breaking through another window in a wave of golden chi.

Outside he overtook Xander in seconds and sped towards Sunnydale High. In no time he landed outside the entrance and de-transformed as he ran inside faster then the eye could see.

The door to the computer science classroom was locked. He kicked the door to Jenny's computer classroom in, ripping it off and sending it crashing inside and stormed inside.

"Jenny..," he said and stopped in his tracks. Belmovekk then collapsed on his knees in shock. The room was trashed, Jenny's computer smashed. Broken floppy disks and papers littered the room. Against the blackboard Jenny Calendar's lifeless body hung, crucified with wooden stakes.

"No," Belmovekk said softly. Besides Jenny's body something is written in blood.

 _'Up yours, Ape!'_

Belmovekk sat there for a minute when Xander stormed in.

"Belmovekk! Is she alright? Oh."

Xander saw the devastation and Jenny's body hanging on the wall.

"It is my fault," the Saiyan muttered with tear stricken eyes, "I thought I had outsmarted him, but now he has killed Jenny, it is all my fault, Xander"

"WHACK!"

Xander slapped the Saiyan in the face.

"Don't you dare go hysterical on me, Belmovekk," the young man hissed, "not now! I need you. We need you. Giles is going to need you. Buffy is going to need you. Don't let the bastard win! If anybody is going to be blamed for this its Angelus. Do you hear me?!"

"Yes," Belmovekk said nodding, "you are right. You are right. What are we going to do?"

"First we're going to get Jenny of the board," Xander said as he pointed at her body, "I'll be damned if Giles has to see his love nailed to a wall. We are going to take good care of her body so we can revive her with those Dragonballs later. And then we are going to find Angelus and stake the bastard once and for all. Fuck it! Staking is too good for him, we're going to tear him apart, limb by bloody limb!"

"Yes," Belmovekk said, some of his resolve returning to his voice, "vengeance!"

"Hell yeah!"

x

* * *

x

"How's Giles," Kendra asked the next day as she entered the library.

"As poor as can be expected," Xander replied, "still, the poor guy came to work today."

"If you can call that work," Buffy said and looked towards Giles' office and the heartbroken remains of a human being sitting in it.

"Did Belmovekk managed to find Angelus?" Willow asked.

"First thing we did was beat up Willy, Will," Xander said, "and kill a lot of vamps and demons. Naturally we didn't get him. But it does look like Angelus has hooked up with Spike's boys. Some of them were seen near the museum. And Angelus and Drusilla were spotted near the school."

"But why now?" Buffy said still not believing what has happened, "it makes no sense."

"It makes perfect sense," Kendra said looking at her fellow Slayer, "your ex-boyfriend awakens Acathla, the world ends, we loose, he wins."

"So where is Belmovekk?" Willow asked.

"Speak of the devil," Xander said as the door to the library opened and the Saiyan walked in.

"Kendra is right," the Saiyan said having overheard what she had said, "Angelus must have seized upon Acathla as his chance to break free from us."

"I don't understand," Buffy said looking at him, "you told me you had him under control. That if he just sneezed wrongly you'd come down on him."

Belmovekk looked at Buffy not knowing what to say, then he looked away and turned to Willow instead.

"I am afraid, I was not quite..., um..., truthful in that respect, young lady," he said somewhat uncomfortable, "Willow, can you start up your laptop and connect to the internet?"

"Sure," she said and fired up her workhorse.

"What do you mean by that?" Buffy asked.

The Saiyan just looked pained and lost for words as he continued to evade looking at Buffy. And Xander could understand why. Things would go ugly, any moment now.

And they would never be the same again.

"I'm in," Willow said looking up at Belmovekk.

"Go to the Capsule Corp. website, young lady," he said, "and type in this address."

Belmovekk slid a piece of paper to Willow.

"Why aren't you telling me, Belmo?" Buffy asked again without getting any answer.

"It asks for a password," Willow said.

"Type in, FGH39-DT9510-TSL841-MC915," Belmovekk said eyes closed, his head resting on one hand.

"It now asks for two additional passwords."

"Type in, capital letters, BELMAKOR and BELSAMBAR."

"It now asks for a third password," Willow said shaking her head in bewilderment, "what's on this site?"

"INARIMAYAN," the Saiyan said, "capital letters again."

"I'm in," Willow said, "hey, there's a directory with a single file inside."

"Download it and then open it, young lady."

"Belmo, you're scaring me," Buffy said worried, "why won't you answer me?"

Still the Saiyan wouldn't acknowledge her questions.

"Oh my God," Willow said clasping her mouth as she saw what was in the file. Belmovekk opened his eyes, took a deep breath and walked to Willow and turned Willow's laptop around so the rest could see.

"See the real bargaining chip I had to use to keep Angelus in line," Belmovekk said as he walked away again.

"What is it?" Kendra asked, never having seen a computer up close before.

"It's the curse to re-soul Angelus," Willow said ash stricken.

x

* * *

x

Although the entrance of the Hellmouth technically exists underneath the Sunnydale high school library there was much more to it. One could literally dig underneath it and find nothing but rock and dirt. Yet with the right incantations and rituals it became a dimensional portal to Hell.

The whole area around and underneath it however is under the influence of the Hellmouth, riddled with tunnels and caves. Far, far underground in a cave smoothed out to look like a series of chambers a large obelisk stood in its largest room. Around it a large group of vampires had gathered.

Two vampires dragged in a tied young man and they dropped him on the ground before Angelus, Drusilla and a wheelchair bound Spike. Angelus stepped forward and started to speak.

"I will drink.. the blood will wash in me, over me, and I will be cleansed. I will be worthy to free Acathla. Bear witness.. as I ascend.. "

Angel changed into his gameface and continued.

"As I become."

Angelus took the scared young man and dove into his neck, biting, then draining him of his blood, his life. Having drained the young man he let him fall and with bloodied hands Angelus stepped towards Acathla.

"Everything that I am, everything that I have done, has led me here. I have strayed, I have been lost. But Acathla redeems me. With this act, we will be free."

Angelus grabbed the sword sticking out from Acathla's heartbroken and tried to remove it. For a while a blinding light shines, much to Drusilla's obvious delight. Spike on the other hand looked less pleased.

It didn't go well however and the swords remained stuck. A bright red flame erupted from the sword and Angelus was thrown back onto the ground

"Someone wasn't worthy," Spike singsonged, hardly concealing his glee.

"Damn it!" Angel said as he got up.

"This is so…, disappointing," Drusilla moaned as she walked away not knowing what to do.

"There must be something I missed," Angelus muttered, "the incantations, the blood…, I don't know!"

Spike could now hardly contain his laughter.

"What are we going to do?" Drusilla whined.

"What we always do in a time of trouble," Angelus said, "turn to an old friend before our time runs out. We'll have our Armageddon. I swear!"

x

* * *

x

"You had the curse," Buffy yelled angrily at the Saiyan, "you told me from the beginning it didn't exist anymore and all that time you had it?"

As Xander had expected things had gotten ugly very quickly indeed.

"Not all the time, young lady," Belmovekk replied in a tone of somebody who had been caught cheating and now felt utterly defeated, "only recently."

"Don't you young lady me!" Buffy pointed angrily at him, "if you had it, why didn't you use it? We could have re-souled Angel!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kendra said, arms folded, "He didn't trust you. And with good reason. De moment he would have done as you wanted you would have been with your vampire boyfriend again. And den it would have all started over again."

"Stay out of this," Buffy hissed at her fellow Slayer, "this does not concern you!"

"I told you it was unnatural," Kendra said unimpressed, "that nothing good would come out of it! And now we know why. Every time you'd fancy a shag he would have to break out de curse to re-soul him."

"Buffy would never do that," Willow said, staunchly defending her friend.

"And what would you know?" Kendra shrugged, "if she say jump, all you do is ask how high. You's is not seeing the big picture here. Which is dat Vampires must be killed!"

"I second that," Xander said who so far had kept out of the shouting match, "and also third and fourth it!"

"Xander!" Buffy said menacingly.

"No, Buff, it's true," Xander said as he stood up and faced down the Slayer, "we didn't trust you with knowing the curse existed. And with good reason. Even now you are more concerned with getting your boyfriend back then facing up to reality."

"Don't you see, Xander, this is our ticket to restoring both Angel and stopping Acathla," Buffy said passionately as she pointed at Willow's laptop, "we could stop this whole Acathla business this way."

"Why should we even?" Xander countered unimpressed, "Look Buff, when I learned Belmovekk had the curse, and you may find this hard to believe, but I asked him, no, damn, I pleaded him to re-soul Angel. Cause while he may have thought he could control Angelus I saw first hand how utterly mad he is. At several occasions. And I was right. I told him not to condemn Angel for what he could do."

"But until then however Angelus was still playing ball. But now he has killed, Buff. The people at the museum, Jenny. Who knows who else? You didn't saw her body nailed to the Goddamn wall like we did. The bastard broke the edict. I say he dies! Painfully!"

As if to illustrate his point Xander kicked a chair across the library.

"But it wasn't his fault," Buffy said, waving her arms, "it was Angelus!"

Something snapped inside Xander and he started to really yell.

"You don't get to have it both ways, Buff. When he turned you pleaded with us that Angelus was still Angel. That is why Belmovekk went to all the trouble to find a way to keep Angelus in check. Now he finally revealed his true colors and we can't kill him because suddenly Angel isn't Angelus anymore? Fuck him! Angelus is part of Angel and Angel is part of Angelus. Good side, bad side, all the same thing!"

Fuming with anger Xander turned his back on Buffy.

"Xander," Willow said, "you're not being fair. Angel is Buffy's soul mate!"

"Soul mate!?" Xander's voice went up an octave, "She's only 17! What would she know? At that age any boy she dates becomes the one true love for life. But it figures that you are still defending her infatuation. You've done everything but throw high octane petrol on her flames. I know you Willow Rosenberg. You're such an hopeless romantic that this whole doomed impossible opposites attract vampire/Slayer lovefest had you gushing like a medieval damsel in distress. But it blinded you to the truth and as Buffy's friend you should have known this, and this goes for Giles as well, an immortal vampire and a young human girl who happens to be the Slayer can't have a life together. It's just not that kind of a world. If you really were her friend you should have helped Buffy see that, instead of always encouraging it with asking 'hey, how are you an Angel doing?' And Giles should have done his bloody duty and put his foot down before this got pear shaped!"

Willow, Buffy and Xander now all started shouting and pointing at each other. With the Scooby gang disintegrating Kendra jumped in between to keep things from really deteriorating. Belmovekk meanwhile said nothing but sat down on a chair far removed from the group staring blankly ahead of him.

"Buffy is right!"

It was Giles, having emerged from his office.

"Re-souling Angel is our best way to stop Angel," Giles said as he joined the group

"You see," Buffy said smugly.

"I can't believe this," Xander muttered not believing what he just heard.

"But it should not be our only option," Giles continues," we must also be prepared to find Angelus and kill him in case the curse doesn't work."

"Multiple angles of attack, that is acceptable," Xander said finally hearing a glimmer of sense.

"But Giles," Buffy said, "surely the curse…."

"No Buffy," Giles said on a tone that didn't accept any objections, "we cannot risk everything on a single strategy. We, and you, must be prepared to kill Angelus tonight if the curse comes to nothing. You will do this. Right?"

"Right," Buffy replied weakly.

"Oh, and Buffy," Giles said, turning his back on Buffy.

"Yes?"

"If we succeed in re-souling Angel you will break off any relations with him."

"But..."

"This may never be permitted to happen again, Buffy," Giles said, still in his serious tone, "you and Angel will stop seeing each other and he will leave. That's the end of it."

"But..."

"That is my price..., for Jenny."

Buffy sighed and knew she had been defeated.

"Now dat reason has returned it is good ting I brought just de tool," Kendra said relieved and pulled something from her bag. It was a sword.

"Blessed by the knight who first slew the demon. If all else fails, this might stop it. I tink.

"Ooh. May I," Giles asked and took up the sword and examined it, "thank you. At least we have another option if all else fails."

Giles gave the sword back.

"Alright, how are we going to re-soul Angelus," he asked, "Belmovekk? Can you?"

"If I could I would not have tasked Jenny with keeping it," Belmovekk said sullen, "I know sorcery, I know demon magic. This however is based on female witchcraft."

"We need another Gypsy witch," Xander nodded.

"They have been contacted," the Saiyan said, "but they can be here tomorrow afternoon at the earliest."

"We're doomed," Xander said, "plan B sounds better and better. Let's grab some demon guides and go hunt Angelus underground!"

"And what if you won't find Angel?" Buffy asked defiantly.

"Well it beats waiting for your boyfriend to end the world," Xander bit back.

"I could try," Willow said softly.

"You'd love to kill Angel, won't you," Buffy hissed at Xander.

"To save the world? In a second," Xander said back angrily.

"Please, not again," Giles interjected before the two starts fighting in earnest. As the two turned their backs to each other Willow tried again.

"I could try," she said, this time getting noticed

"A-a-are you, um, sure?" Giles asked surprised, "I know you have some powers but don't you think…."

"Me and Miss Calendar did a few Gypsy spells," Willow said slightly embarrassed, "I have some idea what is involved with Gypsy spells. And these are some pretty good instructions."

"But I thought you said you only looked at things," Giles said surprised.

"I, um, lied," Willow grinned sheepishly, "you guys reacted so strongly."

"This is highly unorthodox," Giles said, "and we will discuss your lying later, Willow. But I guess for now we don't have a choice. How long do you think we need?"

"I need about the rest of the day," Willow said as she read the instructions on her laptop again, "and.., an 'Orb of Thesulah'? Whatever that is."

"Spirit vault for rituals of the undead," Giles said and headed to his office, "I've got one. I've been using it as a…., paperweight.

"Buffy," Willow said looking at her friend, "this means I can't help you study for the test."

"Ah, I'll wing it," Buffy smiled, "of course, if we go to Hell by then, I won't have to take 'em. Or maybe I'll be taking them forever."

Of course in reality she's already relieved there will be a resouling of instead of a killing of Angel. Meanwhile Giles returned from his office holding a small crystal ball.

"We're lucky that Angel has a ritual of his own to perform before he can remove the sword and awaken Acathla," Giles said as he gave Willow the Orb, "with any luck, it should take some time. Maybe even time for another Gypsy witch to arrive."

x

* * *

x

"So how does 10 G's feel, Kendra?"

"And Buffy does tis all de time?"

"She's up to 25 G's actually," Belmovekk said, as he put Kendra through her paces in his gravity gym.

"25?" Kendra exclaimed not believing what she was hearing, "how does she manage?"

"Gradually, very gradually," Belmovekk smiled and walked back to the controls," here, let me lower it to 7 G's.

"No, it's OK," she said, "I would like to get used to it."

"Ah, a determined young lady," the Saiyan said approvingly, "can you do the katas I sent your watcher?"

"You try to stop me," she smiled.

Slowly, because of the high gravity, but surely Kendra performed her katas.

"Very well," Belmovekk nodded in agreement, "couldn't have done it better myself. You have excellent technique, young lady."

"Tank you, you just gave me watcher good instructions, teacher."

"Zabuto is just a very good teacher as well," Belmovekk said, "He struck me as such when I met him and now he proves it. You have improved greatly these past months. Have you guys ever thought of relocating to Sunnydale? Your training could improve so much more faster. With your dedication and my gym you could probably surpass Buffy within a year."

"Buffy also said my technique is better," Kendra grunted, "she also said it lacks heart and feeling."

"One is not necessarily better then the other, young lady," Belmovekk shrugged, "yes you can compensate technique with sheer guts and determination. But mostly you can compensate zeal and passion with superior technique and tactics. A cool and detached mind is an extremely powerful weapon in battle. More often then not passion can be a distraction in battle. Don't try to be like Buffy, young lady. Find your own path."

"Tank you," Kendra replied and stopped to take a breather, "tis is more tiring then I thought."

"I will lower the gravity to 7. We do not want to exhaust you," Belmovekk said and lowered the gravity, "I have a feeling tonight will be exciting enough for all of us. Just sit, young lady. Gravity acclimatization is also an exercise in itself."

"Pff, 10 G's is very tiring indeed, teacher," Kendra panted as she sat down.

"Would you believe this is normal to me?" Belmovekk said as he lied down next to her.

"What, really?"

"True," Belmovekk nodded, "sometimes I even sleep in here. On my birth planet 10 G's was as normal as 1 G is here. It can be so relaxing, young lady. I even installed a cool feature."

With the press of a button on his remote control the roof of the gravity gym changed color from its normal brown red to a purplish blue. A sun started to appear, somewhat darker in color then the Earth sun.

"Sometimes I just like to lie here and imagine what it was like back then," the Saiyan said as he looked up, "or I can switch it to night instead."

The Saiyan pressed another button on his remote and the vista changed from day to night and stars appeared.

"For a member of a brutal warrior race you are oddly sentimental." Kendra said.

"That is what happens when you get older, young lady," Belmovekk smiled, "imagine adding 4000 years on top of that. Too much time to reflect. Oh, there it is. See that sign?"

The Saiyan pointed to a cluster of stars.

"They all look de same to me," Kendra said. As far as she was concerned nighttime was for patrolling and slaying. She had never bothered watching the stars. So Belmovekk pointed out to her what she should be looking for.

"See that one, start with that, then draw a line through that one, then that and that. Then draw another line from that star back to the others."

"Looks kind of Y shaped," she replied

"Saiyan star signs are not representations of animals or people like on Earth," Belmovekk said, "ours represent abstract symbols. The symbols of the great houses. Because we believed that we originated from amongst the stars. And that particular one is of my house. It was a small one, we were not that important, but it was ours nonetheless."

Kendra noticed the wistful look in the Saiyan's face.

"Do you miss it, teacher?" she asked.

"Vegetasei?" Belmovekk asked, "I guess sometimes I do. I miss doing things like this, with my father telling me about the great symbols when I was little. Lying with my sister like I do with you now, after an intensive training. But I do not miss being there with my people. We were very bad people, young lady. As bad as Angelus is now, he is nothing compared to an average Saiyan. At least there is logic to his madness. We just killed for money."

"Is that why you killed those Tarakans, teacher?" she asked, the incident still haunting her in her dreams sometimes, "because they reminded you of what you used to be?"

"No, I killed them because they tried to kill my friends," the Saiyan said shaking his head, "and I will not let that happen. Which is why Angelus has to go to such extreme lengths to end the world. Because he knows that anything less then the worlds end will not stop me. And if he does kill my friends not even Hell itself will keep him safe. Although I suspect Buffy is no longer my friend after what I did."

The wistful look on the Saiyan's face turned mournful.

"I tink you two ceased being friends long ago," Kendra said putting her hand on the Saiyan, "which is why she will come around. I tink I understand you a bit better now, teacher. And for what its worth, your mistake wasn't in keeping that curse a secret but not killing that vampire when you had de chance."

Belmovekk mulled that over for a while and turned off the light show and switched of the gravity gym.

"What is, is, young lady," Belmovekk said regretful, "I think we should get back to the library. It is probably going to be a long night."

x

* * *

x

As Kendra and Belmovekk arrived in the library the sun was setting and everybody present was wearing long faces. Buffy greeted Kendra but ignored Belmovekk.

"What is wrong?" Kendra asked.

"Angelus send us a message," Xander said still pissed. "it was kinda…, graphic?"

He then gave them the details of Angel's colorful message.

"If I don't meet him tonight more people would die," Buffy said.

"Surely you are not going?" Belmovekk said incredulously, "This is a trap."

'You don't get to decide anything anymore," Buffy said refusing to look at him, "I'm going and that is the end of it. I won't have the blood of more people on my hands."

"Come on, young lady, think about it," Belmovekk said, "he has the key to ending the world in his hands. Why would he even waste time on you?"

"Maybe because he's crazy as a loon?" Xander suggested.

"We must prevent him from killing any more people," Giles said, "Willow will need at least half an hour, maybe more, to perform the ritual. Buffy, do you think you can stall him for that long?"

"Starting from now," she said looking at her wristwatch, "I think I can."

"This is madness! Master Giles," Belmovekk pleaded, "if the re-souling Angelus is the key to stopping the end of the world we should not scatter our forces. We should be fortifying the library and maintain a strong defense instead."

"What, and let innocent people die?" Buffy said.

"Listen, young lady, this is no longer about protecting a few people," the Saiyan said and pointed outside, "some nut vampire is about to suck the world into Hell. Let us get some perspective here. Sometimes you have to lose a battle in order to win the war. The military calls it acceptable losses. If saving the world means hundreds of people have to die, yeah, then let them die."

"I will not risk him killing any more people, Saiyan," Buffy replied, with lots of acid on the word Saiyan, "maybe if I live to be 4000 I'll have a similar viewpoint but now, as far as I'm concerned, everybody counts. Besides, why should you care, you're not even human."

"That is not fair, young lady," Belmovekk said, "hate me for lying to you on a strategic decision but do not doubt my intentions."

Kendra could see the Saiyan was hurt by Buffy's words. Which was probably what the blond Slayer had in mind and she was about to defend the Saiyan when Xander intervened.

"Let's all not say stupid things we'll later come to regret," Xander said, "come on, Buff, the B-man has gone above and beyond before us when he didn't have to. He made a mistake but he has proven his loyalty."

"I suppose," Buffy said without any enthusiasm.

"And B-man, surely you can see the wisdom in using multiple angles of attack, right? Willow, for the curse, Buffy or you to take care of Angelus, right? Besides, me and Kendra will be here to guard the fortress. Sure Angelus and Drusilla know some Chi Fu by now. But they haven't been training in a gravity gym, right? Have no fear, the Xandman is still here!"

"But I should be going with her," Kendra protested.

"No," Buffy said, "Belmovekk, while an asshole, may be right. It could be a trap and you can be of more use to help Xander defend the fort here. Cause I have this big suspicion that Mr. Saiyan asshole here will tag along."

"Damn straight, young lady," Belmovekk said, folding his arms across his chest, "like Xander said, multiple angles of attack. If the curse fails, Angelus must die."

"And you still don't trust me, do you," Buffy snorted.

"Oh, I trust you, young lady, I just don't trust Angelus."

"Buffy," Kendra said and took out a twisted but very pointed stake from her coat, "dis is me lucky stake, Mr. Pointy. I killed many vampires with it."

"You named your stake?" Buffy asked surprised.

"Yes," Kendra smiled

"Remind me to get you a stuffed animal," Buffy smiled. You do realize I'm probably not going to need it, right? Chi Fu, remember?"

"Dat's why I said it's also lucky," Kendra smiled.

Appreciating her fellow Slayer's gesture Buffy pocketed the stake and turned to Giles.

"Giles, how will I know the curse has worked?"

"Just hold him off, Buffy," Giles replied, "if the curse works you'll know, if it fails Xander will tell you over the scouter.

x

* * *

x

"I can't believe you lied to me," Buffy said as she and Belmovekk walked to the cemetery, "I trusted you with my life."

"I am sorry..," Belmovekk tried to say but got cut off.

"No, don't you sorry me, Saiyan," Buffy said, "sorry isn't going to cut it. We're beyond sorry into get the hell out of here afterwards. We're through. I want you out of here when this is over."

"Well look here, young lady, it's not that simple, there is your mother to consider," the Saiyan objects, "I will not abandon the mother of my child like that."

"Well, too bad," Buffy shrugs as they enter the agreed upon cemetery, "you should have thought of that beforehand. We'll somehow manage. Like we always did."

"Well hello, lover! Having an argument with your tame ape?" Angelus said as he emerged from behind a mausoleum and looked her over, "I wasn't sure you'd come though. Took you a long time."

"After your immolation-o-gram," Buffy replied, "come on, I had to show."

"And hello Belmovekk," Angelus smiled at the Saiyan, "Buffy a bit pissed off when she discovered you could turn me back into her tame pet lover any time you'd choose?"

The Saiyan just gave the vampire one of his patented death glares. But Angelus is too much in gloat mode to care.

"Don't be too hard on your tame ape, lover," Angelus said as he's enjoying himself, "if it hadn't been for Acathla I'd still be playing nice and having nightmares of becoming droopy boy again. Ah, it feels good to finally be able to kill again."

"You haven't ended the world yet, vampire," Belmovekk said.

"Shouldn't you be out destroying the world right now," Buffy said looking around, "pulling the sword out of Al Franken or whatever his name is?"

Angelus just shrugged.

"There's time enough with that Gypsy witch dead and her curse gone. I wanted to say goodbye first. You know, you are the one thing in this dimension I will miss."

"This is a beautiful moment we're having," Buffy replied not buying it, "can we please fight?"

"He seems awfully full of himself," Belmovekk suggested, "surely if you let him gloat he will go on for at least half an hour."

"I think I can wrap it up in less," Angelus smiled, "still, no need to rush a beautiful moment. I didn't come here to fight."

"No?"

"Gosh, I was hoping we could get back together," Angelus grinned, "What do you think? Do we have a shot?"

"You have got to be kidding," Buffy said not believing what Angelus is saying.

"Of course I am. But you see, I have this problem," Angelus said as he started to pace while still in gloat mode, "While I could easily fight with you and your wannabe boyfriend, I knew that that tame ape of yours would also tag along. And he's awfully strong. So even if I do manage to defeat you he'd still finish me off like an insect afterwards."

"They can be assholes, but sometimes there is no substitute for a Super Saiyan," Buffy smiled, "maybe you could ask Vegeta. I hear he's still evil."

"True," Angelus nodded, " but he's no Super Saiyan. And I can't resurrect Freeza. And believe me, I've looked into that real, real hard! He's completely vaporized. But then my old mates Spike and Drusilla came up with an answer. We have the same problem you see. You see, you aren't that important anymore, he is. Luckily for me they've been thinking about it for longer. Belmovekk, my old pal, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine."

As Angelus stepped back from inside the mausoleum came a large figure clad in black. He threw back his hood and revealed a blue head, adorned with bony studs.

"I'd like you to meet the Judge," Angelus smiled.

From sheer habit Belmovekk tapped his scouter to get a reading. But to his amazement no reading appears as the numbers fluctuate all over the place.

"Oops," Angelus gloated as he clapped his hands together in visible glee, "did I forget to mention? Thanks to a certain chaos mage we've all come to know, love and hold dear we have managed to increase the background interference of the Hellmouth. To bad these things never worked quite right the closer one came underground. Now it applies for the whole of Sunnydale. And don't bother to call for help, that won't work either."

"This one is full of life," the Judge said as he appraised Belmovekk.

"Well come and get it," Belmovekk said as he assumed a battle stance and powered up quickly, firing up his chi flame.

"Hmm, tasty," the Judge said as he felt the waves of energy come over him.

Belmovekk made the first move and launched himself at the Judge and delivered a mighty punch that sent the creature crashing through the mausoleum. The Judge however recovered fairly quick and dusted himself off. Belmovekk resumed his attack and pummeled the Judge some more.

"He's not much of a fighter," Buffy said as she appraised the fight, "Xander could take him on if he wanted to."

"Not everything is about being a fighter," Angelus answered, "my boy the Judge may not be big on fighting but he's tough. He'd better be. We've been feeding him lots of lesser demons for the past month to get him up to strength. He also has something in common with my other boy Acathla."

"Oh, I'm dying of suspense here."

"They both like to suck," Angelus grinned.

Belmovekk had cornered the Judge against the ground and delivered a barrage of blows that would have killed either Buffy or Angelus when the Judge managed to place his hand on the Saiyan's chest. Suddenly the Saiyan stiffened and smoke arose from where the Judge was touching him.

"And there he goes," Angelus smiled.

The Saiyan seemed incapable of moving as the Judge got up, still pressing against the Saiyan,. With a look of pure contentment the Judge absorbed energy after energy.

"No, Belmo!" Buffy yelled, her own chi flame coming to life. The moment she tried to intervene she found Angelus in her path, his own chi flame blazing.

"Let's fight, lover," he hissed.

x

* * *

x

"Quod perditum est, invenietur," Giles chanted inside the library as the ritual neared its fulmination.

Meanwhile Cordelia was swirling incense all over the place.

'Not dead nor not of the living." Willow said, sitting on top of the table, "spirits of the interregnum I call."

"Can you detect anything," Xander asked worried towards Kendra, who was on the other side of the library as he tapped his scouter," I can't detect anything. I should at least get a reading of Buffy and Belmovekk. Or hear them."

Kendra wore Giles' scouter but she shook her head, she's not getting anything either.

"Please, Xander not now," Giles said, "we need to concentrate."

"Damn it," Xander muttered to himself, "I'm starting to think the B-man was right. Maybe they should have stayed here and forted up. Something fishy is going on and I'm not talking about the swim team."

"Let him know the pain of humanity, Gods," Willow continued meanwhile, "reach your wizened hands to me. Give me the sword."

Suddenly a vampire emerged from between the bookcases and jumped Xander. To his credit Xander managed to roll with the attack and threw the vampire off him. He got up and powered up, chi flame coming alive. To his surprise the vampire did the same.

"You have got to be shitting me!" Xander said as the vampire charged again.

Kendra looked up and saw the fight taking place in the upper level. Before she can react the doors opened and more vampires came in.

"Get out, now," Giles yelled to Willow and Cordelia. To their credit they lost no time and made for the upper level where Xander was still battling his opponent. A fourth vampire came forth and jumped on Giles and knocked him out.

"Giles," Xander yelled. He pointed his right arm at his opponent, holding the hand at a 90° degree angle.

"PHOTON TORPEDOS," Xander yelled. Small orange colored energy spheres packing quite a punch started to blast his assailer. They break through his defenses and on impact started to tear chunks from the vampire's flesh, weakening him. When he had him weakened enough Xander uses his other hand and in one stroke decapitates his opponent, crumbling him to dust.

"Photon torpedo's?" Cordelia said having witnessed it all, "Xander, you're such a geek!"

"It gets the job done," Xander grinned victorious, "Go! Why are you still here?"

He looked at the battle below. Vampire #4 sat on top of Giles shielding him from Kendra, while she is sorely pressed by the two others, the three of them having their chi flames going.

"Desperate times," Xander muttered and tried for an attack which he hasn't had much luck with lately. He held up his right hand and an energy sphere emerged. With grim determination he managed to flatten it into a disc and when he thought it was flattened enough he threw it against the vampire on top of Giles, aiming for the neck and a quick dustification.

The vampire however managed to evade the attack at the last second and it just grazed him in the neck pissing him off.

"Of all the…,." Xander muttered but he didn't get to finish the sentence. The vampire abandoned Giles and jumped to the upper level and attacked him, sending him crashing into the book cases.

This caused a domino effect and case after case tumbled over. While Cordelia had heeded Xander's warning that it was better to fight to live another day, Willow had remained. Now she paid the price as a heavy bookcase plus its content of books fell on top of her.

x

* * *

x

"Hmm, so tasty," the Judge said as he continued to draw energy from Belmovekk who was somehow unable to step back. Meanwhile Buffy and Angelus kept on slugging it out as the vampire blocked every move from her to reach the Saiyan.

"Come on, Slayer," Angelus grunted, "where's that passion I've come to known from you? I'm getting the impression here that you're waiting for something. What am I? Rebound guy?"

"Come on, Willow," Buffy muttered. This is not going well. Angel was never stronger then her before he turned and she's been training her ass of in that gravity gym ever since. And yet he kept up with her in strength effortlessly.

Meanwhile the draining of Belmovekk continued. How can this be, Belmovekk thought, this cannot be the end. I've survived Freeza's henchmen, Kal Torak and despair. And somehow this…, this thing, succeeds where everything has failed? Just by touching him?

"No, it can't be, not like this," he hissed.

"But it is," the Judge said, "you are very strong, but you're getting weaker. Soon it will be over."

x

* * *

x

" _One isn't necessarily better then the other, young lady. Yes you can compensate technique with sheer determination. You can also compensate a lack of zeal and passion with superior technique. A cool and detached mind are an extremely powerful weapon in battle. Don't try to be like Buffy, young lady. Find your own path."_

Belmovekk had said those words to her earlier this day. It had hurt when Buffy, in effect the senior Slayer, had said that her technique, though flawless, lacked passion and feeling. At first Kendra felt overwhelmed by fighting two vampires of equal or even greater strength to her. Then it occurred to her that yes, they were strong, but they weren't actually that good. And she had fought vampires before. These were just stronger. But she had superior technique. So she fell back on her training and used what she was taught about vampires, their strengths and their weaknesses, and used it against them. The moment one of them made a mistake she used it and attacked. The first of her opponents then died a dusty death. The other was stunned by that, which allowed Kendra to sidestep him and make her move. So he also died quickly thereafter.

"Dat worked," she said exhilarated. She looked up to Xander who was slowly squeezing the life out of his opponent.

"DIE, DIE, DIE!" the young man screamed as he pinned the vamp down with one hand and squeezed with the other. Although one technically couldn't strangle a vampire because he didn't have to breath the neck was still a vulnerable area. Eventually it snapped loudly to Xander's enjoyment and the vamp turned to dust.

"Bah," Xander snorted disgusted as he dusted himself off, "why can't they implode or something less messy?"

"You is alright?" Kendra asked to Xander as she checked out Giles, still unconscious on the table. Xander jumped over the rail and landed next to her.

"He's fine. Just unconscious," she said.

"We came, we conquered, we kicked ass," Xander said grinning and held up his right hand in a high five gesture. Kendra looked at him puzzled as if she didn't know what to do.

"You've got to be kidding?" Xander said shaking his head. Who didn't know the meaning of the high five? Then he heard a noise coming from the entrance.

"You've got to be kidding!" Xander sighed as he saw Drusilla and 3 more vampires entering the library.

"This is not good," Drusilla said as she saw the carnage. The vampires they had sent ahead were among their best trained. And now they were dust.

"You, take care of the boy," she said to the other three. I'll deal with the other Slayer."

x

* * *

x

"Not like this, not like this, not like this, not like this, not like this," Belmovekk said to himself. He was still being held by the Judge and felt he can't hold out much longer. Should have gone all out from the start instead of testing the waters, the Saiyan couldn't help but think, analyzing where he went wrong. If only he could go Super Saiyan.

"Almost over for your alien buddy," Angelus grinned meanwhile as he blocked yet another attempt from Buffy to reach him.

"I think Mr. Pointy has something to say about that," Buffy said and pulled out Kendra's lucky stake.

"Come on, Buff, a stake?" Angelus shrugged, "do you want me to unbutton my shirt? Surely you can do better?"

"Then catch," she said and threw it at Angelus. Two centuries of vampire instincts wanting to avoid sharp wooden pointed objects kicked in and Angelus sidestepped the stake. Meanwhile Buffy jumped back, charged a quick energy attack but instead of firing it at Angelus she fired it at the ground. She still had not learned to fly but this did the trick just as well and launched her in the air to a height of 20 meters. While going up she brought her hands above her heads and rapidly charged a new attack.

"MASENKO!"

A yellow beam shot forth from her hands and Angelus assumed a defensive stance. But instead of hitting him the attack hit the Judge from behind instead.

"What the." the Judge muttered and looked up to see Buffy coming down again.

Belmovekk felt the paralyzing hold of the Judge weaken for an instant and seized upon it. Gathering whatever was left of his energy he reached for Super Saiyan. No golden chi erupted but it was enough for the transformation to take place as his hair turned to gold.

"So you want power," Belmovekk smirked although still paralyzed. But unlike in his normal state where all his power comes within, in Super Saiyan he can draw additional power from the universal energy that surrounded him as well. For as long as his body could manage it that is

"Feel this," the Saiyan roared and started to feed enormous amounts of power into the Judge who by now looked very surprised. Usually his victims tried to withhold power, not feed it to him.

"No...," the Judge said, "what..., is..., this…, too..., much!"

The Judge felt himself starting to shake.

"Too much," he said again.

Belmovekk started to grin. His power is rapidly going down again and he felt he cannot maintain Super Saiyan for much longer. But the Judge looked like he's got a very bad case of indigestion.

"Can't..., take..., this..., much..., AHHH!"

The Judge suddenly stepped back and let go.

"What are you?" he asked panting heavily.

"I am the Child of Grey," Belmovekk smirked, "What is up, had a bit to much?"

"I, no….."

"Surely you have room for just a bit more," the Saiyan said and opened his mouth. A small ball of energy came out and floated gently like a leaf in the wind to the Judge.

"Come on," Belmovekk grinned, "surely a big boy as you can stomach that extra bit of energy? It's just a wafer thin piece of power."

"No," the Judge moaned, then the ball of energy entered his mouth. And the Judge looked puzzled.

x

* * *

x

Then he belched.

x

* * *

x

Then he exploded.

x

* * *

x

Boom.

It was not a big explosion but enough to send pieces of him flying everywhere. At ground zero a column of energy started to swirl around itself as it went upwards until it disappeared into the clouds. The energy went up and up until it reached the higher atmosphere and reacted with the Earth's electromagnetic field to create a spectacular lightshow over Southern California, akin to the northern lights.

Belmovekk however dropped out of Super Saiyan and fell to his hands and knees. Only then did he really start to feel how much he had been drained.

"Damn big ape," Angel said impressed, "I thought the Judge was insatiable but you've given new meaning to the term overeating. It does not matter, you're so much weakened you are in no position to stop me. Even I could kill you now."

"Hello, armed and dangerous Slayer still here," Buffy said, energy attacks glistering in both of her hands.

Angelus looked at Buffy and started to laugh.

"Y-you never learn, do you?," he said scorning, "This wasn't about you. This was never about you."

Angelus stepped back laughing.

"Have a nice evening, lover."

Then it hit Buffy.

"It's a trap," she said as she knelt beside the Saiyan, "he's after the others!"

"Go," Belmovekk panted, "don't wait for me, just go. They need you. The mission comes first!"

Buffy nodded and got up. Hesitantly she started walking and then she ran. Using her improved speed she was like a passing blur to anyone who would have seen her pass in the night. In no time she traversed the distance between the cemetery and Sunnydale high and ran down its corridors. She ran into the library and then stopped, looking absolutely horrified. The place looked like an army had fought inside. Then she saw a familiar shape laying on the ground.

"No," Buffy groaned and slid next to the body of her fallen fellow Slayer. She lifted up Kendra's head and felt for a pulse. But there was none.

Then a voice yelled.

"FREEZE!"

x

* * *

x

AN 2017: _I really, really, REALLY hate how I wrote so much in the present tense and had to clean that shit up.  
_


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

**Chapter Twenty five**

 **'Becoming 2'**

x

x

AN: _The final chapter already. For this part at least. Thank you guys for your kind reviews and let's hope that if you are still interested it's not to long before I get to post part 2._

x

* * *

x

"FREEZE!"

"Put your hands up. Back away from the girl slowly."

A policeman had entered the library, his gun now pointing at Buffy. Another one had also entered, gun drawn and now also trained at Buffy.

"Look, I didn't do anything," Buffy responded as she slowly got up and backed away.

"Do it! Now," the first cop yelled nervously.

The second one, a female cop, moved over to examine Kendra, her guns still pointing at Buffy.

"This one's dead," she said looking at her partner.

"What about up there?" the other cop asked.

The female cop looked up the stairs to level with the book stands. She could see Xander lying unconscious on the ground.

"Xander..," Buffy groaned as she saw him as well and wanted to go to him. The female cop however grabbed her.

"Get her out of here," the first cop said and the female cop started pushing her outside.

"Wait," Buffy protested as she was being handled, "just see if he's OK! Please!"

The female cop didn't care however and handed Buffy over to the male. He led her out of the library and she no longer put up a struggle. For a moment none of it mattered any more. She had failed her friends and they had paid for it with the ultimate price. Kendra was dead, lord knows what had happened to Xander, the fate of Willow, Cordelia and Giles unknown.

It was only once she was being led outside the library that she began to protest again.

"Please. You don't understand...," she said.

The cop however is not impressed.

"You'd do well to keep your mouth shut, missy," she said sternly.

Then Snyder walked into view flanked by two more cops.

"But I didn't do anything," Buffy said, still not having seen Snyder.

"Why do I find that so very hard to believe," a very gloating Snyder said. It's only then that she noticed him.

"You know this girl," the first cop asked.

"Buffy Summers." Snyder smiled, "if there's trouble, she's behind it."

"You stupid little troll," Buffy hissed angrily, "you have 'no' idea!"

"Attitude problem. Serious," a still gloating Snyder said.

"Look, I just wanna know if my friends are OK," Buffy pleaded with the cop as she tried to go back into the library.

"All right, that's enough," the cop said and took out his handcuffs.

Suddenly a blast hit the cop, electricity arcing his body. Yelping in pain the police man fell to the ground.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

As Snyder and the other cops turned around they face an angry man, heavily battered and bruised but with ink black pupils filled with hate staring at them.

"You!" Snyder said shocked, eyes big as saucers.

"Snyder, you bastard! You know! You know everything! And still you pester her?" Belmovekk said furiously, "I am going to enjoy ripping you apart, limb by BLOODY LIMB!"

As if to add force to his words a white flames appeared around the man. The cops pulled out their guns and pointed them at the man. Snyder however knew better and ran away.

"Freeze," one of the cops, a female one said, "put your hands up slowly!"

"Police?" the man said, spitting out the word police as if it were the most vile curse, "you, are police?"

The man spit on the floor in contempt.

"People die in this Gods forsaken place and you label it gangs on PCP and do NOTHING!" Belmovekk said as he slowly walked towards them, "and the one time you should be doing nothing you interfere? You are not police, you are something I try to scrape of my boots when I have stepped into something that came from the ass of a dog. Leave this place before I lose myself and kill you all!"

The female cop then started to fire her gun, as do the others. Most bullets bounce off against the man's white flames, although some manage to get through and bruise him. The man however does not care and let's out a terrifying roar, then charges straight into the police officers. In less then one second he has knocked them all down, then he prepared to kill them all, deadly energy attacks charging in his hands.

"Belmo! Don't!" Buffy asked as she ripped off the handcuff from her hand.

Belmovekk looked at her. For he few seconds he said nothing. Then the energy attacks disappeared. Instead he panted heavily but the rage in his eyes seems lifted. Then new attacks form.

"For you I will spare them," he said, then he fired of similar blasts as had hit the first cop at all the others. Electricity starts to arc around the fallen policemen and they began to whimper and writhe in unconscious pain.

"But these vermin deserve a lesson that corruption, incompetence and turning a blind eye comes at a price," the Saiyan said as he spit on them, "where are the others?"

"They're hurt," Buffy said, "Kendra is dead, Xander seems badly hurt."

"Go," Belmovekk said, beckoning her to go, "I will take him to the hospital."

Outside the school however came the sounds of more police sirens and the arrival of ambulance services.

"There is no time," Buffy said as she stepped forward and took him by the arm, "look at you, you can't even stop bullets anymore. Come, I'll take you to my house."

x

* * *

x

"No. I-i-it's impossible. There..., there's been some terrible mistake," Joyce said to the two SDPD detectives who had been questioning her.

"And you have no idea where your daughter is?" the detective who had identified himself as Stein asked her.

"She said was going to her friend Willow's house," Joyce lied, "she knew what was going on but she'll be damned if she is going to turn her daughter over to these clowns, "maybe she slept over?"

"Is that Willow Rosenberg," Stein asked noting the name down.

"Yes".

"Second victim," Stein said to his partner as they both nod in agreement.

"What?" Joyce asked shocked, was Willow also hurt?

"Your daughter has a history of violence," the detective asked again, "doesn't she, Ms. Summers?"

"I think you should leave," Joyce said, suddenly a hint of steel in her voice.

The detective could take a hint. He won't get anything more from her.

"You call us, OK? If she decides to stop by," he said and gave her a card, "be best if she just comes in."

The two detectives left and Joyce closed the door. She went into the kitchen and threw the card into the waste basket.

"You did great, mom," Buffy said standing in the kitchen and took her mother's hand to squeeze it gently. Belmovekk sat on the other side of the kitchen counter, his eyes closed and resting with his head backwards against the wall.

"They actually have the gall to accuse you," she snorted in disgust, "part of me refused to believe the police was this inept until this happened."

"You'd better believe it," Buffy sighed.

"They are covering things up," Belmovekk coughed, some blood coming from his mouth, "it is as I feared, they know. They just do not care. Buffy has been a nuisance to them and now they think they have a chance to get rid of her. Bastards! I would kill them all if it were not for that damn Judge!"

"There will be no killing," Buffy said, "maybe some vampire slayage, but no killing humans."

"They have made their choices, young lady," Belmovekk coughed not sharing her concerns.

"Not all of them," she said shaking her head. "it can't be. Don't punish the innocent with the guilty."

"Have it your way," the Saiyan replied and closed his eyes again.

"Can you take care of him, mom," Buffy asked as she turned towards her mother, "I have to go to the hospital and check on my friends."

"But Buffy, shouldn't he go there as well?" Joyce asked concerned as she saw blood coming from Belmovekk's mouth.

"No hospital" Belmovekk said firm, "just rest."

"You heard him," Buffy shrugged and made for the backdoor, "he's tough, he'll make it. It's my friends I worry about. Besides, he's an alien, they'd cut him open!"

"Be careful, Buffy," Joyce called after her.

"Ain't I always?" she smiled and put on a black woolen cap.

x

* * *

x

Arriving outside Giles' apartment, Buffy noticed the doors were open. At the hospital she'd met with Xander and Cordelia. It turned out Xander had held his own against Drusilla's minions but when Drusilla killed Kendra and came for him he thought it prudent to save at least Willow and live to fight another day. He had gotten away with only a broken hand, Willow however was still unconscious. With the prognosis not looking good. The biggest surprise however had been that Giles was still missing. So the first thing Buffy had done afterwards was go to his apartment to see if he was there.

The apartment looks deserted in which case the front door standing open looked like a bad sign. So she entered the place fearing the worst and feeling very worried.

"Giles!"

No answer.

"Giles!"

"I don't think he's here," a voice said. On the stairs stood a short man in a leather jacket and a pork pie hat on.

"And who are you?" Buffy asked weary.

"Whistler's the name," the man said as he tipped his hat.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Actually, I'm waiting for you," Whistler said.

"Why?" Buffy asked, still weary.

"Cause I-I-I need a date to the prom?" Whistler joked.

That was the wrong answer. In no time Buffy had him by the throat against the wall.

"I have had a REALLY bad day, OK," she said in her best 'you are about to die' tone of voice, "if you have information worth hearing, then I am grateful for it. If you're gonna crack jokes, then I'm gonna pull out your ribcage and wear it as a hat. Talk!"

"Hello to the imagery," Whistler replied, "very nice. It wasn't supposed to go down like this."

"Nobody saw this coming. I figured this for Angel's big day. But I thought he was here to 'stop' Acathla, not to bring him forth. Then that Saiyan came and changed everything…., now he's a creep again. Everything is in flux. Now it's up to you make things right. What are you gonna do? W-what are you prepared to do?"

"Whatever I have to," Buffy replied and let go of Whistler's throat.

"Maybe I should ask, what are you prepared to give up?" the guy asked as he straightens himself out.

"You don't have anything useful to tell me, do you?" Buffy snorted, "What are you, just some immortal demon sent down to even the score between good and evil?"

"Wow. Good guess in one," Whistler grinned, "Whistler's the name and I work for the Powers that Be."

"Well, Mr. Whistler, why don't you try getting off your immortal ass and fighting evil once in a while," Buffy said unimpressed, "cause I'm sick and tired of doing it myself."

"That's the way it is, kiddo. In the end, you're always by yourself," Whistler said, "you're all you've got. That's the point. That Saiyan should not have interfered. He shouldn't even be here. Now everything is in flux. Angel is awakening Acathla, vampires and demons are starting to do chi related stuff."

"Spare me," Buffy snorted and turned around to leave not hearing anything useful.

"The sword isn't enough," Whistler called after her, "You gotta be ready, you gotta know how to use it!"

Buffy didn't reply and slammed the door shut behind her. No sooner was she outside when she saw Spike standing there, leaning against the wall, smoking a fag.

"How you doing, pet?" he grinned impishly.

"It never rains when it pours," Buffy sighed in dejection and lunged forward to hit the bleached vampire.

In Willow's room at the hospital things were finally looking up. She had regained consciousness and Oz had also arrived, having cut short the tour of his band.

"I'm OK, Buffy," Willows said speaking through a phone, "really. I mean, I don't feel good, but…, I'm awake, and I know my name and who's President and how many fingers, so they don't think my brain got mushed at all."

"Thank God," Buffy said relieved, speaking through the phone in her house, "so sorry I can't be there."

"I know," Willow sighed, "I'm sorry I didn't get to cure Angel."

"Don't be. It just wasn't meant to be," Buffy sighed as well, "I know I'm never gonna get him back the way he was. It just makes it easier."

"Any luck finding Giles?" Willow asked.

"Yep. I got a lucky break," Buffy spoke into the phone.

"What?" Willow said incredulously.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Buffy said looking into her living room.

x

* * *

x

"Have we met?"

Spike looked around towards Buffy's mother who looks at him inquisitively.

"Um…, you hit me with an ax one time. Remember," Spike said and made a gesture of holding up an ax, "uh, 'get the hell away from my daughter?'"

"Oh," Joyce said, not really remembering as those were still the 'lets repress anything that happened' days. So both return to their uncomfortable silence.

"So, do you," she asked, "uh, live here in town?"

Before Spike can answer he senses a familiar presence and looked around.

"You!" he hissed aghast.

"You," Belmovekk hissed shocked as he limped into the living room, supported by Buffy, "I'm going to enjoy killing you, you bastard!"

The Saiyan then somehow managed to throw himself upon Spike.

"Hey, look, flag of truce here," Spike managed to get out before Belmovekk started squeezing his throat shut.

"Let him go," Buffy said as she tried to pull the Saiyan off from Spike, "he came here to help."

"This bastard is responsible for everything," Belmovekk hissed angrily, "him, Angelus and that crazed woman of his."

"Listen to what he has to say," Buffy said.

"Never," Belmovekk replied with murder on his heart.

Then Spike grabbed Belmovekk by the hands, a chi flame faintly glowing around him and slowly but surely he managed to twist the Saiyans hands away.

"You should listen to your pet, Big Scary," Spike said with a big grin on his face, "although technically, you're not that scary anymore. The judge roughed you up good?"

Spike now got up, still holding Belmovekk by the hands and driving the large Saiyan unto his knees.

"Enough, Spike," Buffy said.

"Fine," Spike replied and let the Saiyan go who fell panting heavily to the floor.

"Are you alright?" Joyce asked worried as she knelt beside him.

"I will live," the Saiyan replied stoically and panted, "I am just so very tired."

"The Judge drained him dry," Buffy said, "not even Super Saiyan could help him. And then the bastard blew up."

"The bastard drained me alright," Belmovekk grinned as Joyce helped him to sit next to her on the couch, "but he got a little bit more out of me then he bargained for. I am afraid he could not take it. Few can. But do not worry, a few days rest and I will be back to normal."

"Too bad," Spike said ruefully and sat down again, "look, Big Scary, me and Dru, I admit we did rebuild the Judge. Thought we could use it against you. Ever since that church fire we knew you were the real enemy. Figured that if we took you out, we could deal with the Slayer. You see, when Dru got better from Angel she also inherited everything he knew and could do."

"That we knew," Belmovekk said refusing to look at Spike .

"Well, what you didn't knew was that Angelus came to us the very day the pet here had a good snog with him," Spike continued, "then the Big Scary here pulled a whammy on us and started blackmailing him with that curse. Which I have to admit was bloody brilliant, mate."

"Why thank you," Belmovekk replied without much feeling as Spike continued on.

"So Angelus has us bidding his time," he said, "Over time he manages to double cross you, feed you falsehoods mixed in with truths. Cause while we may have the Judge to take care of you, who knows how far you've souped up the Slayer here and her friend. By the time Angelus and her parted ways she was quite ahead of him and he did lack that nifty gravity gym of yours. Then one day he comes across a certain mage called Ethan Rayne.

"I'm so going to kill that bastard," Buffy muttered as she heard his name.

"Quite an unlikable fellow," Spike agreed, "but he did conjure up this cool spell that increases our powers. Angelus and Dru figures they are now superior to the Slayer. But we were still not sure if the Judge could take the Big Scary out in time. And Angelus did fear being re-souled in retaliation. Then one night he learns that the Watcher's honey has the curse. So a plan starts to form. And then along comes Acathla. And now everything changes. The Judge may or may not defeat the Big Scary here but if Acathla sucks the world into hell, that would surely do the trick."

"That still does not explain why you are here," Belmovekk said, finally looking at Spike, "and last thing I heard you were in a wheelchair."

"Angelus has been making the moves for his girlfriend," Buffy said. Belmovekk looked at Buffy, then at Spike and then he started to laugh.

"It's not funny, mate," Spike said looking insulted, "I was in that bloody wheelchair for months and he's been making my life a misery. To be honest I preferred him when he was still Droopy Boy and fawning over the Slayer here. He's madder then Dru now. Besides, as I told the Slayer, I don't want the world to end. I like it quite as it is. I've enjoyed its pleasures myself for a century, I hope to enjoy them for many more centuries to come."

"And the wheelchair?" Belmovekk asked.

"Funny things, these spells," Spike smiled, "Ethan did his Halloween prank and that Harris wanker not only gets to become superman, he stays like that. Me, I found I could suddenly walk again after Ethan did his spell to increase our strength."

"Then if you hated Angelus putting his moves on your girlfriend, why didn't you do anything about it?" Belmovekk asked as Joyce took his hand, "you seem to have collected some skills these days. Why come to us?

"Because he and Dru were way stronger then me. They knew stuff I didn't. I had to pick it up from watching them practice and training the boys," Spike replied, making some mock kung fu moves to illustrate his point.

"So what now?" Belmovekk asked after thinking it over.

"Now I go down there, rescue Giles and stop Angel," Buffy replied.

"He has Giles?" Belmovekk asked surprised.

"Must have been the point of the whole exercise," Spike shrugged, "he tried to awaken Acathla earlier but it didn't work. Must have needed the brainiac to figure out why."

"Then we have no time to waste," Belmovekk said and tried to get up. No sooner was he up as he fell back down on the couch again.

"Don't," Joyce said concerned, "you are in no condition to do anything."

"And even if you could I don't want you to," Buffy said, "you've done quite the amount of damage. You failed to re-soul Angel, now even vampires know this chi stuff. You've only managed to make things more complicated. It wasn't supposed to happen like this."

"Now I may be a bit down and out, young lady," Belmovekk said surprised, "but how would you know how it was supposed to happen?"

"When I went looking for Giles I met this guy at Giles' home," Buffy said, "claims he was some balancing demon called Whistler, working for something called the Powers that Be. He said that Angel was supposed to stop Acathla, not awaken him. That because of you the vampires and demons will get stronger. That because you failed to re-soul Angelus he will awaken Acathla."

"And you believe that?" Joyce asks surprised.

"He made some good points," Buffy said and pointed at the door, "when this is over I want you gone. I never want to see your face again."

"I can't, young lady, I have…, responsibilities," Belmovekk said, evading her eyes, "something that needs to be done."

"Do them somewhere else," Buffy hissed as she got up and signaled for a leering Spike to follow her.

"Now you wait here, Buffy," Joyce said angrily as she went after her, "I've had it up to here with your histrionics. Belmovekk has gone out of his way to do whatever he can to help you."

"Making things only worse," Buffy replied and walked into the kitchen. Joyce followed and grabbed Buffy by the shoulder.

"Like you haven't," she said sternly.

"You don't understand, mum," Buffy said, "he could have re-souled Angel and we wouldn't have been in this mess."

Joyce shook her head in disbelief.

"So some stranger comes by, said a few words and you believe him over somebody who has stood by you?" Joyce said flabbergasted, "And what do you think would have happened if Belmovekk had never come? Would that have prevented you from fucking that vampire? He'd still have lost his soul and you would still be in this mess. Only then you would have no one to blame but yourself. I'm not stupid Buffy. You brought that Angel along before. I may not have recognized a daughter being the Slayer but I did notice a daughter being very much in love with somebody."

"He could have re-souled Angel, mum," Buffy said again, "he lied to me."

"I know," Joyce said without blinking, "he told me."

"What?!" Buffy exclaimed.

"He told me everything, Buffy," Joyce said unapologetic, "He said that between two lovers there shouldn't be any secrets. He told me what he had done and why he had done it."

"Jesus, did everybody know but me?" Buffy said throwing her hands up in despair, "Giles knew, Xander knew, and now you."

"And I totally agree with his reasons, Buffy," Joyce said firm, "Even with a soul that Angel would have been nothing but trouble for you."

Buffy turned her back towards her mother.

"That would have been my decision to make!"

"Buffy," Joyce said as she took hold of her daughter, "you may be the Slayer and a champion of this world, but you are also a teenage child and a legal minor. Until you are an adult we have to make decisions for you in your best interest."

"I stopped being a child when I was called, mom," Buffy replied looking over her shoulder, "I didn't ask for this but now I have no choice. Now I have to kill the love of my life. I want that man gone when I come back. I will not live with him under the same roof."

"That is not your decision to make, Buffy," Joyce countered, "he's the father of my unborn child. He tried to do what was best for you. Something your own father has stopped doing long ago. Don't hate him for that."

"Are you finished?" Buffy said and broke free from her mother and looked at Spike, who has watched the whole exchange with amused interest.

"Let's go."

x

* * *

x

"So Buffy's going for the big showdown," Cordelia said as she paced nervously in Willow's hospital room, "huh? Wish we could help."

"Well, I'm no longer the buttmonkey but that Drusilla cut me aside as if I was nothing," Xander said and nurtured his broken hand, "it's like she was on steroids or something."

"I wanna try again.," Willow said as she sat up straight.

"Try what?" Oz asked, holding her hand.

"The curse," Willow answered, "we never got to finish it. Maybe we 'can' restore Angel's soul."

"I don't like it.," Xander said shaking his head, "you're talking about messing with powerful magic, and you're still weak."

"I'm OK," Willow said casually.

"You don't look OK," Xander replied and looked at Cordelia, "does she?"

Cordelia nodded in agreement.

"You should listen to him," Cordelia said, "the hair, it's so flat, and the lips."

"Could we stay on topic here, honey," Xander said.

"What?" Cordelia asked surprised.

Xander looked at Willow again

"Look, it's not a good idea," he said shaking his head.

"There's no use arguing with me," Willow responds, "do you see my resolve face? You've seen it before. You know what it means. This can help Buffy. If we turn Angel back soon enough, we can stop him from ever awakening Acathla."

Oz got up looking all puzzled.

"OK, I pretty much missed out on some stuff, didn't I? Because this is all making a kind of sense that's…, not."

"Go with Cordy to the library and get my things," Willow said looking up at her boyfriend, "she'll fill you in."

"Sure," Oz said, having faith in the girl he loves and kissed her hand, then he looked at Cordelia, "I'll drive."

"Xander, go to Buffy," Willow said as they have left the room, "tell her what we're doing. Maybe she can stall."

"But I...," Xander tried to protest, but it was in vain.

"Resolve face," Willow said again resolute, causing Xander to sigh.

"Be careful," Xander said and left.

x

* * *

x

At the school library Buffy and Spike slipped past the police crime scene tapes and entered the library.

"So this is where it all happens! Why are we here again, pet?" Spike said as he examined the HQ of his former enemies. Former until this was over of course.

"I need to have that sword that was blessed," Buffy said as she rummaged through Kendra's stuff, "it can stop Acathla."

"Good call," Spike shrugged, "you know, I expected more of this place. So many plans were foiled from here. Yet it looks so…., dreary."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Spike," Buffy said unapologetic.

"No matter, once this is over I never hope to set foot in this bloody town ever again.," Spike said, then looked at a chalk victims outline on the floor, "hey, this were Dru bagged herself a Slayer?"

"If you start gloating I'll kill you anyway," Buffy said as she gave him a hard stare.

"Can't help but admire the work of a loved one, pet," Spike shrugged.

"And don't call me that," she said.

"You do know this is a crime scene, don't you," Snyder's voice said behind them, "but then…, you're a criminal, so that pretty much works out."

The school principal stood there, still gloating at her misfortune.

"You know I didn't do it," Buffy replied as she looked up to him, "the police will figure it out."

"In case you haven't noticed, Summers," Snyder gloated, " the police of Sunnydale are..., 'deeply' stupid. You other friend was quite right in that department."

"The troll has a point," Spike said, "I've never been to a place where I can get away with so much stuff from the Filth as in this place."

Snyder examined Spike, appraising him, then looked at Buffy again.

"It doesn't matter anyway," he continued, "whatever they find, you've proved too much of a liability for this school."

Snyder took a deep breath and his face started sporting the biggest gloating smile it can muster.

"These are the moments you want to savor," he sighed in contentment, "You wish time would stop so that you could live them over and over again. You're expelled."

"Want me to kill him, pet?" Spike said and was about to slip into his game face.

Buffy however took forth the blessed sword and held it up, examining the blade.

"You never ever got a single date in high school, did you?" she said without giving Snyder a look. Her remark caused Snyder's gloating smile to sour.

"Your point being?" he asked

"My friend was right," Buffy said, "you are something to scrape of your shoes that comes from a dog's ass."

Buffy nodded to Spike to follow her and left the library, making sure to pass very close to Snyder with the sword. Spike shrugged and followed her, also making sure to pass closely by Snyder, who's starting to feel very uncomfortable.

"Love what you did with the school," Spike grinned.

Once they were left Snyder started to shake and grabbed a chair to steady him. Having steadied himself he fumbled inside his pockets and took out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"It's Snyder. Tell the Mayor I have good news."

x

* * *

x

"So what are we doing here, pet?" Spike asked as they stood outside Giles' apartment again.

"I need to ask a few questions," Buffy said, "stay here."

"Bloody sun will come up in an hour," Spike muttered as he fumbles with his coat

"It won't be long," Buffy replied and went inside.

Inside the apartment a certain balancing demon was busy raiding Giles' kitchen when Buffy entered. He sees her but continued to check out the refrigerator.

"Whistler," she said, "what did you mean, the sword isn't enough?"

The balancing demon grabbed a bottle of beer and opened it. He doesn't like the smell.

"You know, raiding an Englishman's fridge is like dating a nun," he said disparagingly, "You're never gonna get the good stuff."

Buffy put the sword on the kitchen table.

"Tell me how to use it," she asked.

The demon took a swig, then looked like it's vile before looking at Buffy.

"Angel's the key," he said while putting the bottle down, "his blood will open the door to Hell. Acathla opens his big mouth, creates a vortex. Then only Angel's blood will close it. One blow will send 'em both back to Hell. But I strongly suggest that you get there before that happens, 'cause the faster you kill Angel, the easier it's gonna be on you."

"Don't worry about me," Buffy replied casually.

"It's all on the line here, kid."

"I can deal with it," Buffy said sadly as she grabbed the sword and made for the apartment's exit, "I got nothing left to lose."

"Wrong, kid, how very wrong you are on that account, " Whistler said once she had gone and took another swig of the beer, then he looked revolted again and took a deep sigh, "I hate this job!"

x

* * *

x

"And now?" Buffy asked when Spike had led her to a manhole cover in a deserted street of town.

"Here we go beneath," Spike replied and removed the lid, then jumped in. No sooner had he disappeared when Buffy heard something.

"Buff! Wait for me!"

It was Xander, flying towards her and then landing beside her.

"Xander," she said happily. These past days had been hard on them and their friendship but she's glad he's here.

"Cavalry's here," the young man grinned holding up his injured hand, "cavalry's with his hand in a casket but it's here."

Buffy grabbed the young man and hugged him.

"Why, Buff, I didn't know?" Xander said pleasantly surprised, then he responded and took hold of her as well.

"Thank you," Buffy said almost choking, "this means a great deal. But you're not here to fight. You get Giles out, and you run like hell, understood? Angel and Drusilla, they're too strong for you to handle.

"I'm not exactly useless any more, Buff," Xander responded, " If I must die beside you, then I gladly will. When the end comes I plan to be there beside you. I've sworn an oath on that."

"Dear Xander," Buffy smiled and caressed his cheek, "I know you will. But not today. I'm not planning on dying."

"Good, cause I was planning to live forever," Xander smiled.

"That's the spirit," Buffy said approvingly, then she let go of him and removed the cloth on the blessed sword, "As for me, I'm gonna be too busy killing."

For a moment her chi flame comes alive and this time it envelops the sword as well, it being loaded with her chi.

"Alright, now you're talking, Buff," Xander nodded approvingly, "it looks good on you. What is it?"

"It's a present for Angel," Buffy said as her chi flame disappears again.

That reminded Xander of what Willow wanted him to tell her.

"Willow. Uh, she told me to tell you..," he stuttered, then he stopped and looked around, "Where's the B-man? Shouldn't he be with you?"

"Home." she said, "the Judge drained him drier then a vampire ever could. He can't even stop bullets any more. Besides, after his betrayal I don't want to have anything to do with him. What did Willow wanted to tell me?"

Xander closed his eyes and cursed deeply inside, then he opened them again and looked her squarely in the eyes

"She said 'Kick his ass!'," Xander lied straight-faced.

"Are you two bints coming along or do I have to do this alone?" Spike said, his head sticking out of the manhole cover.

"What the…, Spike?" Xander yelled surprised

"Tell the dolt I'm here to help you before he goes all medieval on me too," Spike said and disappeared inside the hole again.

"What is going on here, Buff?" Xander asked angry.

"Come," she said and took him by the uninjured arm, "I'll tell you on the way."

x

* * *

x

At the deepest levels underneath the Hellmouth Angelus and Drusilla led a group of vampires who stood before the statue of Acathla. Angelus started to chant in Latin.

"Acathla.. Mundatus sum.. pro te necavi. Sanguinem meum.. pro te effundam..quo me dignum.. esse demonstrem."

Drusilla stepped next to Angelus and handed him a knife.

"You will be free," Angelus chanted as he accepted the knife and cut across the palm of his hand, blood starting to rip.

"And so will we all," he finished.

Suddenly a vampire cried out in agony, and then turned to dust. As everybody turned around it was Buffy holding up the blessed sword.

"Hello, lover," she said.

"I don't have time for you," Angelus said bored

"You don't have a lot of time left," Buffy retorted.

"Coming on kind of strong, don't you think?," Angelus snorted, "you're playing some deep odds here. Do you really think you can take us all on?"

"No. I don't," she smiles. While she's been busy grabbing everyone's attention Xander was off looking for Giles and Spike was encircling the others from behind. Then he made his move and rushed Angelus, his chi flame emerging and he savagely began to batter his rival with everything he's worth.

"How do you like this!" he yelled, putting his hatred for all the months of Angelus treatment into his attacks.

Meanwhile Buffy tried to attack Drusilla but got sidelined by their minions, And they were proving to be quite a handful as they had also been trained in the arts of chi enhanced fighting. Still, they are still weaker then her and slowly but surely she ground them down, one at a time.

"Painful, isn't it?" Spike grinned ferally as he continued to beat Angelus into a pulp.

"NO!" Drusilla yelled and tackled Spike, freeing Angel in the process.

"I don't want to hurt you, baby," Spike said as he got out from under her and faced her.

She continued to attack him and in response Spike punched her brutally in the face, sending her reeling backwards.

"Doesn't mean I won't," Spike said and threw himself onto her.

x

* * *

x

"Giles!"

A beaten and tortured Giles sat bound in his chair "

"Giles!"

Giles lifted up his head slowly and sees Xander standing beside him, fumbling with his ropes.

"Xander?" he said weakly.

"Can you walk," Xander asked concerned.

"You're not real," Giles sighed dejected.

"Sure, I'm real," Xander said.

"It's a trick," Giles said forlorn, "They get inside my head, make me see things I want."

Having undone the ropes Xander got in front of Giles and held him by the shoulders.

"Then why would they make you see me?" the young man said.

"You're right," Giles nodded, "let's go".

As they make their absence Buffy continued to battle the minions, using a large improvised stake in the right hand to dust one and her left hand to blast another to pieces.

Drusilla meanwhile continued to battle Spike, who despite his months of being seemingly bound to a wheelchair proved to be her equal. Somewhatish.

Angelus however had regaining himself and started to shake his head. When he had come to his senses he looked around and took stock of the situation. Spike clearly had betrayed him and was fighting Drusilla, his last two minions wouldn't last long against Buffy. He took one look at Acathla and knew he had to seize the moment before it was too late.

Buffy managed to kill another vampire then blasted the final minion. Before she can react further however Angelus made a run for Acathla and with his bloodied hand he yanked out the sword. Next a light came from the statue, then disappeared as the sword got pulled from the demon's heart.

"No," Buffy yelled desperately.

"Oh yes, lover," Angelus grinned holding up the sword he had pulled out of the statue triumphantly.

Buffy reached for her sword and prepared to face Angelus. Drusilla however allowed herself to be distracted and looked at Acathla.

"Oh.. Here he comes," she radiated, taken by the lightshow coming from the statue.

Spike used the distraction to his advantage and put both of his hand palms to the sides of her hand and started to blast her with wave after wave of raw chi blasts at point blank range. Causing her to cry out in pain and spasm.

"You almost made it, Buff," Angelus grinned madly in triumph.

"It's not over yet," Buffy replied holding up her sword.

"My boy Acathla here is about to wake up," Angelus gloated, "you're going to Hell."

"Save me a seat!" Buffy said unimpressed.

Both chi flames came alive, enveloping their swords as well, charging the weapons with deadly chi.

Then the fight started and the both of them clash, chi flames blazing fiercely as fighting started in earnest. Back and forth it goes. Attack, parry, counterattack, parry again. They turn out to be quite evenly matched and for now the fight could go either way.

Meanwhile Spike had blasted Drusilla into unconsciousness. When she finally collapses he gently and lovingly picked her up.

"Sorry, baby," he said regretfully and tenderly, "wish there was another way."

He took his sire and made for the exit. On the way he passes the Buffy/Angelus fight and watched for a moment. Buffy was good, probably just that bit stronger but the vampire is more vicious and completely fueled by madness.

"God, he's gonna kill her," Spike said, then he shrugged. Not his concern. He turned around and left for the exit carrying Dru.

The fight continued for a while but slowly but surely Angelus drove her further away from Acathla. Occasionally one of them fired a chi blast as well, but they are mostly weak. Their hearts were more into some old fashioned murder using their chi laden swords.

Meanwhile from deep within the Acathla statue came growling sounds and noises as the demon started to awaken and the lightshow intensified.

"You hear that," Angelus grinned, nodding backwards to the statue, "he's coming."

"Not if I can help it," Buffy said and went on the offensive, driving Angelus back until Acathla came back into view. A lucky slash managed to scrape Angelus on his left arm. He growled in pain and furiously counterattacked. This time he managed to drive Buffy further away from Acathla into one of the other rooms. In desperation she tried to stab him and got blocked, a follow up kick also got blocked. Angelus grinned evilly. He can taste victory now.

Then she missed with a thrust and her sword got deflected to the ground. Angelus stepped on the tip and the sword fell from her hands. Disarmed Angelus put the tip of his sword on her throat and picked up her blade. He had her now pinned against the wall.

"A blessed sword," he said and examined her blade. Then he stabbed her with it through her side, pinning her against the wall, and broke it off in two. Buffy cried out in pain.

"I've always wanted my own butterfly collection," he said, "I guess I have to settle for you."

Buffy looked up to him with big frightened eyes and the vampire drunk in her misery.

"Ah, the smell of impending death, how I missed it," Angelus gloated, "so, that's everything then, huh? No more weapons… No friends… No hope."

She knew she had lost. She closes her eyes.

"Angel," she whispers softly.

Angelus however is in full gloating mode.

"Take all that away… and what's left?"

Angel raised his sword and struck down towards her.

Suddenly a massive blow hit Angelus and sent him crashing into the wall to Buffy's left.

"She still has me," a voice said panting heavily.

Buffy opened her eyes. It's Belmovekk.

The Saiyan looked like he's been through Hell and back, still limping but he had murder in his eyes.

"I am going to kill you, Angelus!" he yelled and fired chi blast after chi blast on the vampire. Snarling with pure hatred the Saiyan unleashed whatever remained of his chi and dust rapidly enveloped Angelus.

"DIE!" the Saiyan yelled still firing, slowly closing the distance between him and the dust cloud enveloping Angelus. Then the Saiyan collapsed exhausted and fell on his knees.

"It is done! I am sorry, young lady," he said panting.

"Look out," she yelled.

From the dust cloud Angelus emerged and lunged for the Saiyan, grabbing him by the throat. Belmovekk is too exhausted to resist.

"Old man, you should not have come," Angelus said angry, after all the Saiyans assault, weak though it was, had hurt him, "now I'm going to torture you while my boy sucks the world and your precious Buffy into Hell. Fitting revenge for having you boss me and knocking me around."

"I do not fear you, vampire," Belmovekk spat at Angelus holding him against the wall.

"Tough talk for somebody pinned to a wall," Angelus grinned, wiping away some blood from his face, "payback is indeed a bitch. God, all those times I lied to you and fooled you was precious, but this…., I guess the credit card commercial was right. Some things are priceless. Let's see. How shall I torture you? I have to admit, I've always admired the way you tortured that Tarakan. Shall we dance?"

"Neither pain nor death will scare a Saiyan," Belmovekk said as he closed his eyes, then he started to smirk his most infuriating smirk, "I will gladly join my people in Hell if I can still take you with me."

Belmovekk started to glow, electricity arcing around his body.

"What the..," Angelus muttered surprised.

Energy started to whirl around the Saiyan.

"Suicide attack," Belmovekk grinned opening his eyes, "told you I was going to take you with me. For hate sakes I will spit my last breath at you!"

"NO," Angelus yelled with a hint of hear and let go of Belmovekk.

"Yes," the Saiyan grinned and closed his eyes, focusing on converting his mass into energy.

"Not like this," Angelus yelled and started to hit the Saiyan with everything in his arsenal. Energy attacks, punches, kicks, all rain down on Belmovekk without much result until a lucky blow to the side of Belmovekk's head had him collapsing to the ground, the light show coming to an abrupt end.

"Ha!" Angelus yelled victorious as he gave the Saiyan a vicious kick, "Concentrate on that!"

He lunged for his sword and raised it for a killing blow, chi enveloping the blade.

"I win," Angelus grinned.

"No you don't," Buffy's voice said behind him, "MASENKO!"

A yellow blast hit Angelus and sent him flying backwards in front off Acathla. Angelus shook his head and looked up to see Buffy advancing. She's still bleeding from her pierced side but she could take it. She held her hands in front of her.

"Nobody ever stays down these days," he muttered both angry and annoyed and got up. From the mouth of Acathla a vortex of energy emerged and started to slowly expand. Angelus sees it and smiled victoriously.

"So what are you going to do now, lover," he grinned, "it has begun, your blessed sword is broken. I win!"

"I'll just have to destroy the both of you then," Buffy said sadly.

"KA!"

She cupped her hands in front of her.

"ME!"

She withdrew them to her right side.

"HA!"

Blue energy started to glow between her hands.

"ME!"

Angelus started to look worried. This is new to him, he can sense that she's gathering some serious power between her hands.

"NO" he finally yelled and tried to attack her. Then his eyes suddenly glowed bright red for an instant and he collapsed to the floor.

Shocked by the sudden turn of events, Buffy held her attack in standby but still charged. Angelus got up from the floor. As he looked up she can see that his madness is gone and he was looking at her with eyes in tears.

"Buffy?" he asked in a tone of voice she hadn't heard in months, "What's going on?"

While she looked confused and Angel looked around in even greater confusion, she still held her charged attack.

"Where are we?" he asked, "I-I don't remember."

"Angel," she cried, her resolve melting.

"You're hurt," Angel said and came forth to touch her gently.

She looked down at her wound and felt his gentle touch on her arm. She closed her eyes, taking in his smell, the one she missed so much.

"Oh, Buffy.. God. I.. I feel like I haven't seen you in months," Angel said as he kissed her on the lips.

Buffy felt her resolve melting.

"That is because you have not," Belmovekk said behind her, leaning against the wall, "you lost your soul when the two of you made love and you became Angelus again. See that demon behind you?"

Angel looked behind him. He then clasped his mouth in shock as he recognized the demon.

"A-Acathla," he exclaimed.

"You awoke him," Belmovekk said, "he will suck the world into hell. Unless…."

"Unless the blood of whoever awakes him dies with him," Angel nodded. He understands.

Behind them Acathla's face started to move and the vortex grew even bigger. Angel looked at Buffy again and the energy attack she was still holding. Without saying anything he seemingly understood what had to be done and smiled at her.

"Do it," he said gently, "it's OK. I love you."

"I love you," Buffy replied, tears streaking down her face, "close your eyes."

He closed his eyes and she gives him one last kiss as the intensity of her attack started to grow again.

"Live happily for me," Angel said gently, then he looked at the Saiyan, "and you, take care of her."

"I will," Belmovekk said. Then Angel stepped backwards until he was almost in front of the statue.

"HA!"

With that single word Buffy unleashed the Kamehameha wave and let it slam into Angel. It pierced the vampire and together with his blood slammed straight into Acathla.

"Buffy," Angel yelled one last time, then he and Acathla were sent careening into the vortex. Once they were gone the vortex disappeared, as if sucked in after them.

Silence returned to the room, broken by the sobs of Buffy crying as she fell to her knees.

"I am so, so sorry," Belmovekk said as he crawled towards her and tried to put his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her.

Angrily she shook of his attempt to embrace her and moved away from him.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she hissed with pure venom, "You don't EVER get to touch me again!"

She lashed out with her chi and pushed him away. Belmovekk staggered backwards and fell over on his back.

x

* * *

x

"Damn it Harris," Spike said still holding an unconscious Drusilla, "this is the third time I have to go back to that hole."

Both he and Xander were walking as fast as they could through the underground tunnels.

"You and your floozy can leave after I check that Buffy is alright," Xander said not giving a damn about Spike. All he cared about was helping Buffy and the Saiyan.

"Why do you even need me?" Spike muttered, "Didn't you come along the first time?"

"I had other things on my mind," the young man snorted impatiently

"Bugger! First you lot, then the Big Scary, now you again. I feel like a bloody tour guide," Spike muttered and pointed, "there, go through that tunnel you wanker, I'm out of here."

Spike ran away carrying Drusilla leaving Xander behind. Xander made a half hearted attempt to stop him but changed his mind. He recognized the tunnel anyway. He went trough the tunnel and emerged into a familiar space. It's now deserted. Even the huge Acathla statue was gone. A sword lay abandoned on the floor.

"What the hell happened here?" Xander said as he looked around. Plenty of debris of the battle but little sign of any survivors. Where the statue used to be was now an empty spot. Bad sign. Missing statues usually mean trouble. Then again, the world hadn't ended and that would have been an inescapable effect. So maybe it was a good sign after all.

"Buffy! Belmovekk," Xander yelled as he looks around.

Then from around a corner came a muffled noise. Xander moved there quickly.

"Buffy," he said worried. Instead he found the Saiyan sitting against a wall. Belmovekk looked like he's been to Hell and back and then some. He had a blank stare and just talked softly to himself.

"Belmovekk," he said as he knelt down next to him and took him by the shoulders, "what happened? Where is Buffy?"

It took a while for the Saiyan to react but then he looked up in Xander's anxious eyes.

"I failed her, Xander," was all the Saiyan said, "I failed her."

As Belmovekk sunk back in his depression and he had made sure he was alright Xander looked further for Buffy but couldn't find any trace of her except a broken bloodied sword. Finally he returned to Belmovekk and helped to carry him back to the surface.

x

* * *

x

"Willow, are you sure you should be out of bed?" Giles asked as the Scoobies stood outside of Sunnydale High. The sun was shining brightly again and now it looked as if anything of the misery of late could never have taken place.

"Look who's talking," Willow said. Both look like hell, she in her wheelchair, he with several broken fingers.

"Touché," Giles said.

"Any word?" Cordelia asked worried.

"He refuses to speak," Xander said shaking his head, "all he said is that he failed her. I think he's going to crawl in a bottle and won't come out for a long, long time. As for Buffy, I guess you guys haven't seen her either."

"No," Willow said sadly.

"But we know the world didn't end, 'cause…, check it out," Oz said and looked around. It was a bright and sunny day.

"That we know," Giles said, "Xander said the statue was gone and he's taken me back there again. Whatever happened, at least we were spared that."

"I think the spell worked," Willow nodded, "I felt something go through me."

"Plus the Orb did that cool glow thing," Cordelia added.

"Well, I think it wasn't in time," Xander said gloomily, "maybe she had to kill him before the cure could work. Or God forbid afterwards. It's the only explanation that makes sense."

"Well, then, she'd wanna be alone I guess," Oz said.

"Or maybe Angel 'was' saved, and they want to be alone together," Willow said, the other alternative to horrible for her to contemplate.

"Perhaps," Giles said without much conviction. Silently he agreed with Xander.

"Well, she's gotta show up sooner or later," Cordelia said, "we still have school."

"Yeah," Willow said, "she'll be here in a while."

The Scoobies nodded and entered school, Oz gently pushing Willow's wheelchair.

x

* * *

x

Across the street Buffy watched from the shadows her friends go back to school. Sighing sadly she turned around and headed for the bus depot.

x

* * *

x

(cue dramatic music)

x

Yahweh

U2, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

Lyrics by Bono

 _Take these shoes_

 _Click clacking down some dead end street_

 _Take these shoes_

 _And make them fit_

 _Take this shirt_

 _Polyester white trash made in nowhere_

 _Take this shirt_

 _And make it clean, clean_

 _Take this soul_

 _Stranded in some skin and bones_

 _Take this soul_

 _And make it sing_

 _Yahweh, Yahweh_

 _Always pain before a child is born_

 _Yahweh, Yahweh_

 _Still I'm waiting for the dawn_

 _Take these hands_

 _Teach them what to carry_

 _Take these hands_

 _Don't make a fist_

 _Take this mouth_

 _So quick to criticise_

 _Take this mouth_

 _Give it a kiss_

 _Yahweh, Yahweh_

 _Always pain before a child is born_

 _Yahweh, Yahweh_

 _Still I'm waiting for the dawn_

 _Still I'm waiting for the dawn, the sun is coming up_

 _The sun is coming up on the ocean_

 _This love is like a drop in the ocean_

 _This love is like a drop in the ocean_

 _Ooohhh_

 _Yahweh, Yahweh_

 _Always pain before a child is born_

 _Yahweh, tell me now_

 _Why the dark before the dawn_

 _Take this city_

 _A city should be shining on a hill_

 _Take this city_

 _If it be your will_

 _What no man can own, no man can take_

 _Take this heart_

 _Take this heart_

 _Take this heart_

 _And make it break_


	27. Postscript

**Postscript**

x

x

AN 2006:

Some on Spacebattles where I beta posted this where disappointed with the ending, thinking it too much like the series. But I always wanted it to end like it did in the series. The series 2 finale is probably the best of the whole series and I liked how it divided them all. Usually they kill the big bad, they all get together for a group hug as Xander makes some final snide comments. Now they are divided and she's heartbroken for having killed the love of her life. Why change something's that perfect? For me the interesting part was in getting there.

x

x

* * *

AN 2017:

It's really weird having revisited this story. For so long I felt really embarrassed by it. Like I did a shoddy job at it. During the summer of 2013 I suffered a major eye infection and which inhibited my eye sight. I had just finished writing another story called Dawn of Xander, which is a BtVS/Warhammer 40K crossover and wanted to get back into writing. But that was kinda hard when you can't look at a computer monitor and can't see shit. Only by looking real close at a laptop screen on my lap could I see anything. I was taking medications and knew it wasn't going to last forever, so in order to bide the time I was reading a lot of fanfiction at that time.

Then, as a prelude to get back into writing again I started to read my stories again. I started at part 2A, feeling too embarrassed to start with part 1. Part 2A, the next installment, has always been my first story I felt proud off. Where for me it came together. This one however, well, it was more the story where I learned how to write the hard way. As I progressed through my stories I noticed the ungodly amounts of tense confusion (present-past-everything in between) and spelling errors. It was really embarrassing so I decided to proofread them again. I started with part 4, the Cell Games, and then progressed backwards. I figured this would allow me to add some foreshadowing to future events as well and knowing what was going to come allow me to retcon a few details as well.

I also resigned myself to finally revisit this story as well. And you know what? Having finally finished it I can say that this story wasn't as bad as I thought it was and part 2A wasn't as good in comparison as I thought either. Don't get me wrong, it's still a better story though because it is a complete tight single story whereas this was more a series of stories. Some were really good, others were still cringeworthy, but overall it balanced out. I went in here thinking there were going to be some major rewrites/retcons but overall I didn't really change much. Most of the major rewrites were in the early five chapters, where I felt Belmo's introduction to the Z-fighters, Kami and the Slayer felt rushed. After that it was just mostly minor things. And changing things from present tense to past tense, as there was way too much changing between them and using past tense has become more or less my standard. If I ever have to look at one of my written sentences in the present tense I'll probably vomit from now on.

So, that's it. Now all that's left to do is get cracking on back on part 5. I still have three acts to finish. And so many other plotbunnies that are begging for attention.

x

* * *

x

THE END

x

To be continued in Original of the Species part 2A, The Mayor & the Saiyan: The Goa'uld

Which in the case of will be... (drumroll)... tomorrow! You lucky sods!


End file.
